Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Gemnity - Downtown
Luke Jaron

"I can't believe it, I am finally here! In the Phoenix concert!" Said Luke, excited, Mark snorted at his comment, "You missed some of concert because you were busy performing on the street." Luke grinned innocently, "Well couldn't help it! I finally got an encore from the people! Thanks to you though." Luke tapped Mark's shoulder. Mark smiled back at Luke, "Of course, your lyric was so bad that I had to change several of them." Luke commented, still grin on his face, "Yup, and well I am still relying on you for making my lyric better." Mark chuckled, "Well, not after this concert, okay? Cause after hearing Phoenix's song and yours, I might not get a good night sleep." Luke bite his lips, "Oi, my lyric isn't that horrible..." Mark laughed hard at Luke's expression, even though, Luke had some shyness, his face was probably the most honest face in the world. "Come on, Luke! There! We could see Phoenix better over there." Mark led the way and Luke followed him this time.

Luke and Mark got comfortable and looked at the stage with excitement. It was funny really, she was a singer who Luke did not see in person, but she had influenced him a lot; inspired him to create songs and sing in front of people who needs comfort.

In fact, her music even brought him and Mark together; precious friend who he would do anything to protect. Then again, Mark only lost to Luke in final round of the martial artist championship. He probably doesn't need a bodyguard.

Luke smiled at his friend again; Mark, on the other hand, did not give him a glance, the guy was grinning and was cheering for Phoenix like others. as he was so excited for the concert.

Luke, too, join the hyper crowds, along side of his friend.

As Luke joined cheering squad, Mark, too looked at his overly excited friend. He smiled. It was funny that it was not the martial arts that brought them together, but music.

Mark had his letter ready to send it to Phoenix, a fan letter, thanking her for being an awesome singer and thanking her for warm songs that she had brought to the world, where many had suffered. Thanking her for giving him the opportunity to make a friend with music.

Caltha -Grand Council Chambers

Jax looked up and smiled as Alina entered the room. She looked beautiful and regal as ever. She was born to do this.

She met his eyes and blushed. Jax had to hide his amusement. The fact that he had could make the High General of Kaddath, the Ice Empress herself blush was still as rewarding today as it was two years ago.

Keynes entered the chamber before he could focus too noticeably on Alina. Raidon sighed to his left.

"It seems patience is in short order today," he mused. The rest of the members began to file in and take their seats. Last was Serena Winters.

Jax followed her with his eyes as she sat down. There was something striking about the woman, an odd likeness between her and Alina. Both passionate in their beliefs, but composed. Dignified, but humble.

"I think that's everyone," Jax said, looking over at Alina.

--------------------

Gemnity - Downtown

Graduation. Rise had almost forgotten about that. James would be ready to dive into his business full-time then. She'd have to tell him to clean up his hair for the ceremony.

The University seemed like a long time ago. She missed Alex and Lisa. She got to see them occasionally, but not as often as she liked. The ceremony would be a nice time to catch up.

Then it would be sandy beaches and crystal waters. Rise smiled at the idea, then laughed when James mentioned the lack of network connectivity.

"That," she said, giving him a peck on the lips, "sounds perfect."

The crowd's cheering was already reaching a fevered pitch. Rise smiled and stood up.

"Well, can't keep them waiting," she said. She stopped by the mirror for one last look. The gold eyeliner was faint and tasteful. The red dress was catchy but not too garish, and the gold accents complemented her eyeliner.

"If you're going to be Phoenix, you have to look the part," Darcy had said. He had a good eye for these things.

"Showtime," she said, giving James a wink. "Wish me luck!"

Rise pulled out her fans - another Phoenix motif, and let out a swirl of flames before her. The cheer of the crowd hit her first, even before the flames had dissipated. Rise felt her hear swell at the sight of all the people filling the seats out.

"Hello, Gemnity!" she called out. "Let's light things up!"

--------------------

Alexei slumped against the brick wall surrounding the rooftop, periodically peering through the scope of his launcher, puffing idly on his cig.

Thankfully, the sun was almost down - what the overworld called twilight. The sun had made for a striking first image, but it hadn't taken long for the blinding glare and intense heat to start wearing on him. He rubbed at his now sleeveless arms - having shed his outer uniform almost immediately upon reaching Kaddath - and wondered how these people handled it.

The sound of cheering reached them where they were perched, well away from the concert.

"You can hear them even from here," he mused. He wasn't sure what was so great about these concerts the Kaddathians seemed to have gotten into, but it hardly mattered. This one wasn't going to last very long.

Grand Council Chambers

Alina looked up again at Jax's words, scanning the room to make sure he was correct. Nodding her approval, she flipped the page on her clipboard, checked something off, and sat it on the table beside her. "Alright, let's get down to business then."

Keynes took a deep breath through his nose and sat up straighter, focusing on the rest of the room instead of what had been bothering him when he arrived. Working with bureaucrats was definitely a headache, but it was worth it to prepare the way for the next generation. At least, he hoped it would be worth it...

"Congratulations are in order for the police force, I believe. Voluntary enrollment for this quarter is at the highest point we've seen since almost ten years ago. You've all done an excellent job in presenting this administration as an ally to the public, and for that, everyone in this room has my deepest gratitude."

"Raidon, I believe you have an updated report to present before the council on former Corporal..." Alina paused, picked up her notepad and flipped a few pages. "Sebastian Murdoc?" Her eyes met the former chief's, and she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid, I'll have to ask that you hold that report until the end of this session, as we have other matters that need to be dealt with first."

She turned her attention to Kokonoe and nodded. "Doctor, you have the floor."

Gemnity - Downtown
- James & Lenka -

James smiled back at her. “Good luck,” he said automatically and watcher her leave. Outside the noise erupted. He gave it a few seconds and then followed her outside, taking a turn that let him enter from the left side and just below the stage.

It took him a few seconds to adjust to the lights and the cheering people and he shivered slightly. He would never get used to this. Upon scanning the crowed, he saw Lenka closer to the stage, cheering her heart out.

Lenka enjoyed herself. The crowd. The cheering. The flashing lights. She soaked it all up and threw her hands up cheering when Rise finally appeared on the stage.

-------------------------------------------

Gemnity - Downtown
- Ehlana -

Ehlana felt a wave of relief wash over her when the sunlight finally dimmed. After the first moments of admiration passed, she felt the sun was too bright. It made her feel too exposed. Somehow she felt more secure when it was dark.

Nobody paid much attention to the grey haired young woman standing near the entrance. Her bo staff was leaning next to her on the wall and in her belt, she had three injection syringes. Just in case. Tonight, she wasn’t the dangerous one.

Her eyes shot up to the building where she knew Belo and Alexei were waiting. The noise at the concert swelled and Ehlana turned her attention back to the crowd. The Scouter screen lit up and she began her methodic scan of the crowd.

“You would think someone from the military would enjoy this blaring noise,” she muttered when she didn't immediately find anyone.

Just then she found what she was looking for.

“Target acquired,” she said into her com. “Belo get ready. Alexei, stand by for backup.” Not that she doubted Belo’s abilities, but it was smarter to be safe.

“Focus on center stage. Then down two clicks. There’s two young men, both with red hair. My reading says they’re both strain users,” her voice rang clear and calm through the com. “Readings are a little stronger on the left one. Dark jacket and slightly taller.”

“You got him?,” she paused, waiting for the confirmation. “Then fire at will.”

Gemnity - Downtown
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog was probably the only one who actually enjoyed Sun's company, and each passing day, each new dawn, it motivated him to take back that Sunlight from these surface dwellers.

It hardened his resolve, made him much more determined.

Belobog's nano-bug sniper-rifle was ready, waiting for Ehlana to chose the suitable target. The scope slowly adjusted to the target. "Have eyes on the target." He confirmed that he had the target on his sight.

"Then fire at will"

"Roger." Said Belobog, letting her know that he would carry out the shooting soon enough. Belobog let out his long breath out and he steady his aim, then he stopped everything, no, to Belobog, it seems everything stopped moving.

Then, slowly, his trigger finger moved and let out the another nano-bug to bring fear and chaos; fear and chaos to those who he believed had taken the Sunlight from him.


Gemnity - Downtown
Luke Jaron

"Hey, even Phoenix is cheering for you." Mark commented, Luke shook his head, "You are thinking too much about it. Like I said, there's nothing between that girl and me." Mark sighed, but he smiled.

It was then Mark started to feel funny. He started to feel weird. "Hey, Luke..." For some reason, Mark felt like he should make this moment count. "Give this to Phoenix for me, okay? I think I have to leave concert soon... I am not feeling well all of the sudden..." Said Mark, handing Luke a letter. Luke looked at his friend, puzzled, "What's this? Fan letter? What's wrong, Mark?" Luke asked and Mark replied with a smile; Mark's smile, however, did not convey any emotion close to happiness. It conveyed uncomfortableness...

"Good-night, Luke... I think I need to take short rest..." Said Mark as darkness took over his eyes and his heart.

Caltha - Grand Council Chambers

Everyone seemed marginally engaged as the Alina went through the first few matters. When she reached Kokonoe, everyone seemed to grow more tense and focused. This was something that had been building upf or some time, and something everyone seemed to have an opinion in - one way or another.

"People indentified by the bio bands as strain users are skipping out on their mandated procedural interviews for whether they want to proceed with silencing therapy or join the Army," she said. "There seems to be a gathering movement of people who want to keep their strains without being drafted."

"A few protests groups have been popping up," Jax said, sighing. "All peaceful so far. The police have been mandating citations to give a window of opportunity to reschedule their appointments or face arrest, but many are ignoring them."

"Stupid," Kokonoe growled, her knuckles growing white on her armrests. "Freedom is one thing, but everyone can't just do whatever they want. Magic users are a liability if given free reign."

She'd spent years developing the silencing serum, wanting to give hope to Kaddath - to Millie. And now, people were spurning all that hard work she put in, all the sacrifice that went into it. Sure, many were more than grateful to her and the new government for the choice and new freedom, but more and more people were beginning to question if this new freedom was really enough.

"I must concur with Dr. Velda's assessment," Serena spoke, her tone cool and crisp. "Magic strains are a liability. Wouldn't it be safer to simply remove it as an option altogether?"

There was silence as everyone digested these words. Kokonoe was, naturally, the first to speak.

"You're kidding, right?" she said, glaring down her glasses at the other woman.

"I assure you, I'm not," Serena replied, unperturbed.

--------------------

Gemnity - Downtown

"Try everything~!" Rise trilled out, dipping into a bow as the last note faded out. The fans cheered, and she broke out in a grin. She blew a kiss out over the crowd and giggled.

"Thanks, guys," she said, "And now, my second number..."

She trailed off as the excited cheers started giving way to confused chatter and movements.

Then, a scream broke out.

People were backing away from a young man, doubled over in what seemed like pain. Red liquid like blood seemed to be oozing out of his pores, congealing and wrapping around his body like bloody bandages. The skin that could still be seen had gone deadly pale, and the eyes a venomous gold.

Rumors. She'd heard rumors, just like with the Majin. But she didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it.

Redcapes.

"No.... No no no no no!"

People were screaming, scattering in panic as the creature lashed out at those around it. Then, in one swift move, it leaped up onto the stage.

Rise froze, staring into the golden eyes, her blood turning to ice in her veins.

Memories, terrifying memories of the Majin came flooding back. Rise gasped and staggered back, clutching her fans.

Not this. Please. It was supposed to be over.

The Redcape lurched forward, the red layering around its arm lashing at her like tentacles.

Something snapped inside her. Something she'd been surpressing for a long time.

"Stay... AWAY!"

She lashed out with her fan, engulging the stage in a rush of flames.

Gemnity - Downtown
- Ehlana -

Ehlana watched carefully through the Scouter for Belo to hit his target. For anyone not intently watching, the impact of the shot was unnoticeable. Holding her gaze a few seconds on the target, she saw him sway and her Scouter indicated that the transformation was beginning to take place.

“Target hit confirmed,” she replied back “Transformation initiated.” And with that, she put the Scouter in her pocket, grabbed her bo staff and calmly left the entrance. “I’m making my way back.”

Nobody who knew what was coming should want to stick around. Quickly, Ehlana’s slender form disappeared around a corner and into the oncoming darkness.

----------------------------------------

Gemnity - Downtown
- James & Lenka -

Suddenly there was a disturbance in the crowd. James didn’t pay any attention to it, he was absorbed with Rise’s presence on the stage.

Just then the disturbance grew larger, the cheering of the crowd halted and there was an eerie pause Then the screaming started, coming from front center of the crowd. James looked up bewildered and couldn’t believe his eyes. They were just supposed to be rumors. This couldn’t be happening. Not here, not now.

The crowd started to panic. Where was Lenka? Hadn’t she been standing near the centre of the crowd?

Lenka felt like she was in a daze, the good kind though. Rise was performing wonderfully and the atmosphere in the crowd was electric. When things began to change, it took Lenka a few moments to realize what was happening. Someone, no something huge had appeared.

Fear mixed into her confusion and she stumbled a step back only to be shoved forward again as the people around her began to move towards the exits in panic. Before she could regain her footing, someone else bumped into her and she fell to the ground. Panic threatened to take over.

Suddenly she felt herself be pulled up. “Lenka?” It was James. It was her brother. A feeling of safety washed over her and she quickly grabbed on to his jacket, pulling close.

“What’s happening, James? What is this…this thing?” Fear still swung in her voice and she watched wide-eyes as the Redcape leapt up on stage.

James was relieved that he had found Lenka. She was shaken, but unharmed and he led her away from the centre. “Listen to me, Lenka. I don’t have time to explain it now,” his voice was stern and full of authority, a rarity for his nature. “I want you to get out through the back. Go to the car and wait there.” His eyes were pleading for her to agree. “I will get Rise and then we’ll meet you there.”

Lenka nodded and turned around to move to the nearest door that would lead her backstage. However, instead of going through, she stopped and turned to watch the events unfold.

James had already turned around only to see the stage with Rise and the Redcape was now engulfed in flames.

He felt his heart stop.

Then it restarted at double the pace as adrenaline rushed through him. His legs seemed to move on their own. Rise was in danger. James jumped on the stage, dodging the flames as best as he could. Through the smoke, he could see the Redcape, its eyes glaring dangerously golden.

“Rise!” he called out. She was alone on stage with that …that monster.

He wanted to help her.

But could he? He looked down on his hands. His fists were pressed together already in motion to conjure. Realisation sunk in. His Zio strain was silenced. Despair followed as he stood there not five feet away from Rise and knew, he couldn’t do anything to be of help to her in this situation.

Gemnity - Downtown
Luke Jaron

The orange hair male looked stunned as his red hair male friend started to turn into something he never seen before.

"Mark?" That was the first word that Luke spoke as his friend Mark turned into something like a monster. The people were screaming, screeching and running. The monster ignored the crowd and Luke, it straight away charged to Phoenix; Phoenix used her strain to surprise the monster. In turn, it surprised Luke too.

However, that such surprised was short lived, Luke realized it now, the monster was no longer Mark he care for. But something else. However, his heart... his heart could not believe it.

Luke quickly grabbed one of the banner that crowds used to cheer for Phoenix; the banner was quickly wrapped around Luke's face, covering his nose and mouth successfully.

He brought his left hand to his left chest, conjuring his magic circle and quickly punched it. "Sukukaja!", he quickly moved towards the monster, as he went towards it, another hand quickly moved to his left chest and he quickly punched his magic circle. "Tarukaja!"

As Luke got close to the burning stage and the monster, Luke, without hesitation, he jumped and swing his kick at the monster; Luke aimed his flying back kick to what it looked like its torso to get it out from the burning stage and also to get it away from Phoenix and another person.

Council Chamber

Alina sat in silence, observing the reactions of everyone else in the chamber. The very idea of not having her magic sent a chill down her spine. It was a part of her, and she'd never considered life without it. Yes, on some level, taking the decision away would resolve the tension that had been building in the last month or two, but it would also potentially cause public outrage.

The intense looks on every other face in the room spoke volumes about the direction this topic had taken, but now that the path had been presented, it had to be discussed.

"That is not a decision we can make for the people." Her voice cut through the silence with surprising strength.

"If this is a matter the council even seeks to discuss, be aware that we all tread lightly here. I won't let us forget that we serve the public, not the other way around. If a single mention of this particular matter were to leave this chamber, it could lead to an uprising like the one that we are only now beginning to recover from. I won't do that to my people, to our people."

A chill swept through the room, frosting the floor, as Alina's magic surged menacingly. "If a single word of the discussion that follows leaves this chamber, its speaker will be considered accused of treason. Do I make myself clear?"

Her eyes swept across the chamber, looking for the nods of agreement.

Caltha - Grand Council Chamber

The temperature in the room dropped drastically. The council members scooted back in their chairs, trying to avoid the sudden frosting over of the floor. Jax looked over at Alina, alarmed at this sudden behavior.

"Red, what are you doing?" he thought, brow furrowed. He scanned the other council members, who were all exchanging uncertain looks before giving their nods of consent. The only one who hadn't flinched or even lost eye contact with the High General was Serena Winters.

"I've heard words like that from a High General," Serena said quietly. "I didn't think I'd hear them from you."

Jax's eyes widened. He could tell that the comparison wasn't lost on the others, who had gone very still.

"If the council agrees, however, then so will I," she said. The others relaxed ever so slightly at this. Roland Durmail, the Electorate representative from the South with snowy white hair, gave a delicate cough.

"Perhaps," he said, his gaze dipping toward the thawing floor, "the topic merits some consideration."

-------------------------

Gemnity - Downtown

Rise blinked, trying to see through the fire. She caught a glimpse of gold through the licking flames, and a red tentacle shot forward at her. Rise brought up her fans and knocked it away. The Redcape was already in motion though, clawing along the ground like a wild beast.

"Wha-?"

Rise gave a start of surprise as the Redcape stopped short. A man was flying through the air, aiming a kick at the Redcape's torso. Red tendrils unwrapped from the creature's chest and seized the attacker in midair before it whirled around and tossed him across the stage.

Rise intended to run to the stranger's aid, but in that moment, she heard her name being called.

No. That idiot.

"James!" she screamed, racing to him. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed."

She was feeling close to hysterical now. It was bad enough facing it alone, but James had no magic or weapons. And she couldn't... she couldn't lose another person in her life.

The Redcape was eyeing the fallen man now. She had to protect James, but she couldn't just let someone else get hurt.

"You have to go, James. Please!" she said, pushing him away. Bringing her fan up, she narrowed her eyes and swiped at the magic circle that manifested.

"Maragi!" she called, sending a volley of fireballs crashing into the Redcape's side. It howled - a terrible, piercing shriek - and raced at her.

Rise could feel the old battles, the old strength returning. She could do this. She had to. She'd fought worse than this thing.

"All right then. You want some of me? Come get it!"

The Redcape shot another tendril at her, and she slashed away at it with her fans. The monster was in close now, and it swiped its claws at her over and over. Rise parried them again and again, struggling to keep up with its motions until-

There!

An opening appeared. Rise slashed at the creature's thoat - ready to end its life.

The tendril attack from the monster caught Luke off guard and it tossed him across the stage. Luke however, manage to make his fall had less impact, by rolling himself to the ground, minimizing its effect. Luke eyes were locked with the red beast, Luke tightened his jaws, "Mark, are you serious? Can't you even recognize me?" Said Luke, however, the conversation, did not happen. The monster was ready to strike Luke and Luke was ready for it.

It was unexpected that Phoenix would interfere though, he thought of her as musician, not a fighter. The monster screeched horribly, in pain.

"No! Mark!" Said Luke and before he could do anything, the monster was rushing towards Phoenix.

"Strain-Overdrive!" Multiple magic circle appeared in front of Luke, and each of them were absorbed into Luke, charging him bright energy. "Sukukaja, Tarukaja"

With that said, he interfere between Rise and Mark, who was now a red monster. "Tetrakarn!" Luke cast a magic shield to block Rise's attack that was aiming to kill Mark, but he also quickly sent out uppercut to the monster's face. Luke quickly send out push kick to the monster as well, if it landed it would create further distance between them. The speed and his power should be doubled due to his over-limit, surprising the both party.

"Don't kill him!" Said Luke, still looking at the monster who once was his best friend.

Luke was not so sure what was happening to his friend; but, he was sure now that his friend was no longer Mark he knew. But, he couldn't let him die. No, at least, not by the hands of his favorite singer.

But did he have resolve to put his friend out of the misery?....

Luke did not know, but he was not going to let Mark hurt Phoenix and he was not going to let Phoenix kill Mark. It is greedy of him, for once, he was being really selfish. "Please, something happened to him.. I don't know what, but something must happened. He isn't a monster from the beginning. He is a friend of mine... A fan of yours."

Gemnity - Downtown
- James & Lenka -

“You have to go, James. Please!”

The words hung in the air, making their way to his dazed brain. Every fibre in his body wanted to stay here, to help Rise. He knew she was capable of holding her own, but he still couldn’t just leave her alone. What if she got hurt? Memories flooded back of the countless fights they had been in together.

The struggle was visible in his eyes. Eventually logic and rational thinking won out and he cast his eyes down.

“Yes. Go, send that thing to hell,” he said, his words full of confidence for her and turned around to jump off the stage.

There was still enough chaos around him. Most people had left the venue in panic, some still stood there frozen with shock, some were hurt.

James approached a group of them with the full intention of getting them to leave. “Uhm, you should leave. It’s too dangerous here,” he said, but his voice didn’t carry enough authority to get through to them. “Help the ones that are hurt, please?”

Suddenly someone appeared next to him. “You heard him,” Lenka said, her voice still a bit shaken, but far more loud and firm. “The stage is burning. What are you waiting for?”

This seemed to pull some of them from their shock and they began to leave. James eyes narrowed when he saw her, but she ignored him and moved over to the next grouping of people.

“Okay, the show is over. Please get yourself to safety,” she announced in her clear voice. “If you’re hurt, but able to move, make your way over to the entrance. We will call for help in a moment. Everyone else, please help those who are in need of assistance.”

Within a few minutes, the area around the stage was clear and almost everyone had left the venue.

James silently accepted that he was standing on lost ground when Lenka returned to him. “That’s everyone, I think,” she said, looking rather relieved.

“Are you angry with me?” she asked, biting her lower lip. James shook his head and pulled her in for a quick hug. “No, sis, you did good,” he said and was rewarded with a smile. “I couldn’t have done it.” It pained him to admit that, but it was true.

Their attention now returned to the stage, where the fight was still going on, but now someone else had joined, standing between Rise and the Redcape. James tensed up when he realised what this could mean.

"What are these things?" Lenka's question hung between them.

Gemnity - Downtown
Rise's attack should have landed. It was a done deal. But somehow, her fan reflected off an invisible wall, knocking her back a few steps. She looked around wildly, spying the same stranger as before. He had cast a tetrakarn spell, and now he was attacking the Redcape. It screeched and fell back, landing in a crouch.

"What are you doing?" Rise demanded, glaring at the man.

"Don't kill him!" he replied. Rise couldn't believe it - why would he be trying to defend this monster?

"Please, something happened to him.. I don't know what, but something must happened. He isn't a monster from the beginning. He is a friend of mine... A fan of yours."

Rise was hearing the words, but it was hard to process them. That monster was his friend? A fan?

"I don't-" she began, but a blur of red caused her to cut off her sentence. Stupid. She shouldn't have lost focus like that. She turned, ready to face the Redcape, but tendrils were already snatching at her and the stranger, hauling them into the air. Rise's fans clattered to the stage as she struggled with her bonds. They began to constrict, and she whimpered in pain as the strange tendrils seemed to burn at her flesh.

Then, she was suddenly released. She hit the ground, gasping in pain. The Redcape shrieked in pain as electricity coursed through its body and scampered back. Rise turned about and saw Darcy leading a group of Military Police into the stadium. Some were ensuring all the attendees had vacated, while others were rushing the stage. The Redcape shrank back, then darted off through the flames.

"Are you all right?"

It was Darcy, helping her to her feet. Rise nodded, watching as several policemen tried to pursue the Redcape but were stopped by the flames.

"Come on," Darcy said, taking her arm. "Let's get out of here."

The police were going to want to talk to them, but they needed to get out of the way first so the police could do their work. An officer nodded to Darcy and led him and Rise over to James and Lenka.

"You, get that mask off and come on," another policeman said, seizing the stranger and pulling him along with them.

Luke thought he knew how the monster was going to attack, but its tendrils appeared from unexpected direction and it caught him off guard.

The tendrils that wrapped around him started to burn him, Luke tried to free himself with his own strength. But before that he was dropped to the ground, Luke eyes were on the monster, screeching once again in pain.

"Don't kill him! Please!" He could see the military police making their appearance and before they could get to it, the monster darted out through the burning stage.

Luke fist was shaking, in anger and in sadness.

The police officer seized him, and as he mentions about removing his cover, Luke did so; as the banner fall of the ground, it revealed his real face.

Luke's eyes were cast down. Luke was not so sure what was going to happen to him now. But, what would happen to him, would not be worse than his friend. Mark became a monster, a monster he never saw. The military, the army... They will all come for Mark and probably kill him..

Luke bite his lips, he never felt powerless than right now; he was going to lose a friend and he can't do anything about it. "Mark..." he whispered the name and looked at the direction where the monster ran away to. He let out a long breath, he followed the officer without any resistance, he had to tell them what happened... Even they don't believe him, he had to.

Gemnity - Downtown to Police Station
- James & Lenka -

Before James could answer Lenka’s question or even move on step towards Rise, the stadium was filled with Military Police. He felt a sigh of relief when Rise and Darcy arrived unharmed and the Redcape darted away.

He rushed to Rise, pulling her gently in his arms. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“What’s going on here?” Lenka now demanded to know. James turned towards her. “Maybe you should take the car and head home?” he suggested. “I don’t think you should be involved.”

“Not involved?” Lenka retorted, her eyes narrowing. “I just watched Rise get almost crushed by monstrous thing that appeared out of nowhere and you seem to know more about than you’re letting on.” She crossed her arms stubbornly. “I want to know what’s going on, so I’m not leaving.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of two policemen. “We must ask all of you to accompany us to the station,” one of them said. “There is a few things that need to be sorted out.” His voice was polite, but firm. It was clear that a refusal of his request would be quite unwelcome.

Lenka grinned triumphantly at James when she got her way despite James’ protests. Even though she had found her cheerfulness again, she knew about the seriousness of the situation. She could tell by the faces of the others that there was more to the story and that peaked her curiosity.

Yes, she had been frightened by sudden appearance of the Redcape, but the scene that was edged in her mind was the way Rise had attacked it and fought with it. Now she was feeling even more admiration for this brave girl that didn’t even think twice before taking on the Redcape on her own.

Of course she knew about the stories and events that her brother and Rise had gone through in the past. And this time she didn't want to be left out.

They moved to the police cars outside. With them was also the young man that had stormed the stage in an attempt to interfere with the fight. The ride to the police station was mostly silent.

Upon arrival, they were lead into what seemed to be a conference room and told to wait under the watchful eye of one policeman.

"I think we'd like to speak to the Chief of Police," James finally said and stood up. "The Chief of Police has other more important matters to attend to. What makes you think he'd want to talk to you?," the policeman replied, clearing implying that they were simply here to help them compile their report.

James shrugged. "Call him and see for yourself. Tell him it's Rise and James." He was hoping to speed up the process.

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Gemnity - Accomodation
- Ehlana -

“Did you enjoy the show?”

Ehlana entered the room. They had agreed to meet back at their accommodation to avoid attracting attention to the rooftop.

She pulled off her cape and walked over to the table, where a map of Kaddath was lying. There were already several markings on it and she added another one for Gemnity.

“So where should we go next?” she mused, looking at Alexei and Belo.

Gemnity - Police Station
Luke Jaron

Luke sat quietly, others were there too. Phoenix, a young man who jumped to the burning stage and a girl who looked familiar.

The man, who had rushed to the burning stage to help Phoenix, stood up and requested to speak with the police chief. Luke curled his lips, wishing he had that kind of gut and that kind of confident connection.

Luke was a lone wolf until he met Mark... After his survival of such internal conflict, the people avoided him. They avoided him further as earned the title after he earned martial artist championship; he is, once again, lone wolf. Luke tightened his jaws, thinking back of what he had missed. What would have made Mark turned into a monster like that.

Luke's eyes were directed to his hand, thinking of the reason why his friend would have turned into such being. Was it the strain? Or did Mark learned some kind of forbidden martial arts that may put him into the state of berserk... No... Knowing Mark, Luke was very sure that no martial art would transform one into such monstrous form.

It was his strain then?...

Luke let out a sigh, thinking what to say if the police chief actually meets them...

Gemnity - Police Station

Once the adrenaline of the situation had worn off, Rise felt more worn than she'd felt in years. She seemed to move in a trance all the way to the police station. Even when James had hugged her, she hadn't been able to reciprocate.

Sitting in the police station conference room felt surreal. Rise stared off into the distance, listening only halfway to the conversation going on around her. It wasn't until the officer had left and James had put a hand on hers that she looked over to meet his eyes.

"Rise? Are you all right?" he asked softly. He brought his fingers up to brush the hair from her face, his fingers warm against her cheek. She could feel her eyes beginning to burn, and she squeezed her eyes shut as tears began to flow unbidden.

"Why?" she murmured, burying her face into his shoulder. "Why is this happening again?"

She hated the way her body shook, the way the tears wouldn't stop, but she couldn't help it.

It was all supposed to be over. Everything was supposed to be peaceful and happy now. She was making people have fun, making people smile.

Now, all she could hear was screams, and all she could see was flames and wicked, golden eyes.

--------------------

Gemnity - Downtown

Alexei looked up as Ehlana entered their temporary dwelling place - a little, low-rent apartment that would have felt uncomfortably boxy to anyone who hadn't lived underground their entire life.

"Nicely done," Alexei commented, puffing on his cig. "They won't be able to cover up this one."

Maxim was going to be pleased. Things were moving along more smoothly than they'd anticipated. Their allies, however, were not feeling so confident.

"The Old Guard want a meeting," he growled. "They're getting impatient."

Overworlders clearly hadn't cultivated patience among the other things they'd been developing up here.

Gemnity - Downtown to Police Station
- James & Lenka -

James could tell she was upset and he surely didn't need to ask why. Rise wasn’t her usual self. Of course not, idiot. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Her words echoed his thoughts.

“I don’t know,” he replied softly. His arms curled around her and he simply held her close while she cried. “I wish I could promise you that it will be alright, but I can’t,” he whispered and his hand moved up to caress her back. “You know I’ll be there for you. You made it through so much in the past. We’ll make it through this.”

James continued to hold her in a close hug, wondering how once again they had landed in the middle of a problem that shouldn’t concern them.

Lenka watched as Rise broke down in tears. She would have liked to do something to comfort her, but her brother seemed to have it under control, so she returned to watching the table, not wanting to stare. Pretty quickly she was bored and as her eyes wandered around the room, she suddenly realized something and sat up noticeably straight.

She turned towards Luke, who was sitting across from her. “I know you” she suddenly said quietly, her eyes darting to his orange hair. At first she was unable to place his face, but now she remembered.

“It was at the University, a couple days before the concert,” she continued to talk. “I gave you my ticket, because you really wanted to see the show.”

He was a quiet young man, also in his first year of University, so naturally they had some courses together. However, their meeting in the hallway must have been the first time they actually spoke with each other. She wondered why he had put himself in danger like that. Certainly not to save Rise, but to protect the monster? But why?

----------------------------------------------

Gemnity - Accomodation Downtown
- Ehlana -

Ehlana gave a short laugh and looked up from the map. “Nope, they won’t,” she agreed enthusiastically. “The rumours are probably spreading already.”

What Alexei said however, caused her to frown and she rolled her eyes.

“What do they want now?” she asked, showing how much she disliked this constant overwatch and control.

“Fine, set it up,” she said and waved her hand dismissively. “It’s not like we have to be somewhere.”

Ehlana returned to studying the map, tracing a few roads and counting the days on her fingers. Their progress was pretty good so another meeting with the Old Guard wouldn’t throw them back too far.

Grand Council Chamber

The corner of Alina's mouth ticked at the mention of her predecessor, but that was the only outward sign that she'd even heard Serena's comment.

"Very well. The topic is now open for discussion." Saying the words pained her, especially after Serena's barb, but she wouldn't allow her voice to waver. Too much rode on this discussion. Too many people relied on this council to make the right decisions.

"Let us not turn this into an argument though. I want objective opinions that can be built upon to achieve the proper answer. Personally, I feel like this is the wrong approach, but for the remainder of the discussion, I'm all ears."

Gemnity - Downtown
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

"Yo, great target selection..", Belobog gave Ehlana an informal salute. resting his back on comfortable chair, signaling 'job well done'.

Belobog was thinking about commenting about how Ehlana was wrong about the hair color though, then he swallowed it. As such petty conversation would not do any good after great success. Besides, Ehlana was speaking enthusiastically. He did not want to ruin that.

Alexei then talked about the old guards were calling them, and Ehlana did not mind so much of making the group available to meet them. Belobog curled his lips. "I don't like them." Said Belobog, stating his opinion about them. "I get the feeling that they are just using us. Once we are done, not so sure if they will still be our allies."

Belobog straightened himself from the comfy chair, "Sorry, I was thinking too loud. Ready to meet them when you guys are." , it was true, after spending few weeks together, Belobog was somewhat openly said his opinions to them. It surprised them time to time, but should be used to that now. However, it was definitely surprising himself. Belobog curled his lips, thinking to himself, 'I should be careful...'


Gemnity - Downtown to Police Station
Luke Jaron

Luke was lost in thought, arranging what happened so far. However, Mark... Luke was not so sure how to explain what had happened to Mark to them.

How could he? He had no idea of what had turned him into such creature, nor he had clear understanding or an idea of what was the situation he was in and what he should do now.

Then a familiar voice brought him back to earth, Luke turned his head towards the blonde girl who had surprised him. As she recalled the event, he was sure now.

"... uh... hey... Lenka? Surprise to see you here..." Said Luke, not so sure how he should react to seeing her in police station. "I, uh.. thank you so much for the ticket..." Said Luke, he smiled very gently at her, but his eyes were sad. Luke turned his head to other side, "I am so sorry, concert had to end so soon." Did she saw him intervening fight between Phoenix and monster? She also had the resemblance of the man who was comforting Phoenix. Was he her brother?

Luke bite his lips, not so sure what he should say more.

Gemnity - Police Station

Rise felt her tears subside. She allowed herself to linger on James, trying to draw on his warmth for strength and assurance. Finally, she sat up and wiped her eyes.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

The policeman would be returning any moment, surely. She didn't want to be caught looking so vulnerable. She calmed her breathing, brushed away any signs of her breakdown, and sat up straight in her chair. She could do this.

Lenka was talking to the other guy in the room, and Rise could see that they knew each other. He didn't seem like a bad person. Maybe his story about the Redcape was true. If it was... the implications were disturbing, to say the least. A memory came unbidden - emaciated people strung up on walls with black, oozing crust on their chests - and she shuddered.

The door opened to the room, and the policeman reappeared.

"Chief Mathis will speak to you," he said, motioning them to follow. Darcy was the first to his feet, having sat by himself to avoid the drama that had ensued since they'd entered.

"Shall we?" he said, heading through the door. Rise swallowed, steeled herself, and followed.

--------------------

Caltha - Grand Council Chamber

It might not have been noticeable to many, but Jax could detect just how much this had shaken Alina. He wished he could jump to her aid, but he knew enough to realize battles in politics were not so straightforward as ones with his fists.

"Since Minister Winters introduced the matter, I think we should hear from her first," Minister Durmail said, stroking his beard. Serena inclined her head toward him before standing to her feet.

"High General, Commanders, and fellow Ministers," she began. "You can hardly fail to have noticed that magic has been a tool used to destroy and oppress since it was first discovered."

Kokonoe gritted her teeth, halfway out of her chair, when Serena turned to look at her.

"Despite having done some good - and there's no denying that it has - it's undeniable that magic was the tool that Legion used to wreak havoc on the peace and stability of Kaddath, and the tool that High General Adalia used to enforce his despotism."

The other Ministers murmured their agreement. Raidon bowed his head to stare at the hands folded on his lap, but said nothing. Even Kokonoe, despite her noticeable scowl, couldn't say anything to that.

"Our technology can be turned to different solutions and innovations - perhaps even greater ones," Serena continued. "But magic will always carry the risk of oppression and classism. If we remove all strains, we remove one of the great divisions in our society and the greatest threat to our future."

"You've been thinking a lot about this," Durmail surmised, nodding. Serena took her seat.

"Of course I have," she replied. "I have no interest in repeating the mistakes of the past - mistakes we're still trying to fix, and wounds we're still trying to heal."

Jax could not deny Serena's words, but he also could not help but notice one thing missing in her philosophies.

"You say it's magic," he said, speaking before he had a chance to doubt himself. "But isn't it really the people who chose to use it in that way? Even if you get rid of magic, it won't change the mentality of the people who want to abuse it to better themselves. Get rid of magic, and they'll just find something else to use."

His eyes flitted to his pocket, where he still kept Miki's ribbon - a constant reminder of what can be sacrificed when power is to gain.

"Legion tortured and used me. They killed my sister. And they didn't need magic to do that," he said, his voice low and hoarse. The emotional scars were still there, just as tangible as the physical ones. He looked up, his eyes hard.

"Maybe they didn't," Serena said, and she had the decency to at least soften her words toward him, "but they did use it, didn't they?"

Jax had nothing to say to that. Fortunately, a soldier appeared at the door, looking rather nervous to be interrupting the meeting.

"Urgent message for Chief Mathis," he said. Jax looked over at Alina and waited for her to give him leave before following after the soldier. He was led to a large conference room with a screen large enough to fill a whole wall. The soldier patched in the communication and was greeted with the sight of another officer in Gemnity, along with a group of familiar faces.

"Sir, we have something you need to hear," the policeman said gravely.

[OOC: Noin, you can timeskip to have the policeman finish giving his report of the incident before handing things over to James and the others to fill in the gaps.]

--------------------

Gemnity - Downtown

Alexei gave a gruff chuckle at Belo's words.

"I think the feeling is mutual," he said. "Anyway, they use us, and we us them. It's the way of things, yeah?"

He thumped Belo on the back, then joined Ehlana at the table. He cupped one of small hands with his big one and pulled it from the table.

"Relax," he told her. "Eat first. We have to remember to make sure not to lose out on our nutrition cycle."

Adjusting to the food here and the lack of scheduled meals was difficult and could cause major complications if they weren't careful. It was the sort of small detail that could throw a wrench in even the most intricate plans.

Grand Council Chamber

Keynes, who had remained silent since Serena began speaking cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. “There is some merit in what you’re saying, but let me play the devil’s advocate here.” He leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table.

“Your solution comes with inherit problems of its own. For starters, how do you propose we handle the members of the military who have served only because of their magic? If we take away the very reason we essentially enslaved them, don’t you think there will be backlash from that?”

He paused for a moment, letting his question hang in the air. “I’m not saying that all the soldiers harbor these thoughts, but there are more than a few that are strictly in the military as a result of their strain activating. Many of them have trained for years to better utilize those strains for our government, and without their magic to fall back on, many of them have holes in their training.”

“They would need to either be re-trained, or lose their positions, which they were forced into in the first place. I would be drastically underselling the situation to say that they’ll resent this decision.”

Keynes pressed a fist into his other hand, cracking the knuckles, as his eyes roamed through the room. “Even if we assume that goes in the best way possible, we currently have no way of detecting a strain before it becomes active. That was the purpose of the bio bands to begin with.”

“If we take the strains away from our military and police forces, there’s no way to enforce the policy onto new magic users. They would have the upper hand in almost every contained situation, should they choose to press the issue.”

“Obviously, this isn’t the norm, but we have to be prepared for the worst case scenario here.”

Alina nodded to him, realizing that Keynes had won his point, but she already knew the next turn the discussion would take. Jax had already left the room. So, why delay the inevitable?

“The first problem is more complex than we have time to debate today. However, your second point has a simple enough solution, even if the thought of it does leave a bad taste in my mouth. Doctor, what’s the viability of weaponizing your serum?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

University Office

Marcus winced internally every time the metal balls strung up on the desk clacked together. At first, the sound had given him something to focus on, other than the fact that he was asking a total stranger for advice, and maybe under different circumstances, he might find the sound to be rhythmic and relaxing. That wasn’t the case right now. Each predictable click was like a hammer crashing down inside of his skull.

“Marcus?” Lisa prompted him for a response, sounding somewhat concerned.

“I’m sorry. Could you repeat the question?” He asked, trying to sound more calm than he felt.

Lisa frowned, sitting aside the notepad she’d been scribbling his responses onto for the last few minutes. “Look, we don’t have to do this right now. If you need more time…”

“No.” Marcus cut in before she could finish the thought. “I don’t think it can wait.” He could hear the rising panic in his own voice, but there was no way to keep it down. It had taken quite a bit of convincing on his part to even set up this session.

“Okay…” Lisa gave him a questioning look and sank back into her chair.

“Could I just?” He reached out and grabbed one of the metal balls, stopping its progress, and gently rested it against the others.

The woman across the desk from him raised an eyebrow at this, but she didn’t say anything else until he laid back in his chair again.

“So, we’ve established that you’ve got a tough decision to make.” Lisa said, reaching for her notepad again and scribbling down some kind of timeline with three question marks. Marcus was a complete mystery to her, as she was sure he strived to be in most cases. He’d been very upfront with her about how little of his emotions he often shared with others, and it was that alone that had convinced her that he truly needed this session.

“You’ve been very vague about the context of it though. If we’re going to get anywhere, you’re going to have to open up a bit more.”

A deep exhale came from the other side of the room, and Lisa didn’t even need to look up to know there would be a look of anguish on Marcus’ face. “So, a few days ago, I saved a kid from a collapsing building…”

Gemnity – Police Station
- James & Lenka -

Lenka could see the sadness in Luke’s face and this threw up more question than it answered. However, before she had a chance to unleash a stream of questions towards him, the policman came back and asked them to follow.

„Don’t worry, Luke,“ she simply said. „My brother will sort things out.“

They all moved into a different room with a large screen mounted on the wall.

„…And so we were able to prevent any larger destruction,“ the policman said after reporting the factual events that had happened during the concert. „However, we were unable to aprehend the Redcape, Sir,“ he finished and it was clear that it pained him to admit this.
„There were however witnesses, that were also somewhat involved,“ his eyes narrowed a little and he stepped aside.

James took a step forward, raising his hand in a greeting. „It’s good to see you again, Jax,“ he said. „I’m sorry it has to be under such circumstances.“

His other hand was still holding Rise’s hand, wanting to remind her that she wasn’t alone. „I thought these things were just rumours,“ he said and frowned. „I didn’t see much unfortunately, but this guy,“ he stepped aside to let Luke step to the front, „and Rise might be able to fill in some of the gaps.“ He gave Rise’s hand a light, encouraging squeeze. "However, after what happened, I think you also owe us some informtion..."

Meanwhile, Lenka was standing off to the side, listening intently to the report and the informtion revealed. This turned out to be bigger than she had thought and despite the danger of it all, her eyes began to sparkle with excitement.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Gemnity – Downtown
- Ehlana -

„You’re the one who made the shot, Belo,“ Ehlana replied with a smile. „That was great work.“

She nodded in agreement to Alexei’s and Belo’s conservation. None oft hem really felt they could trust the Old Guard, but they needed them as their knowledge of this world was crucial for their plans to succeed.

Ehlana let herself be pulled up by Alexei and grimaced at the thought of food. „But they eat food that grows in the ground,“ she complained. Yes, she had to overcome all her suspicion when they tried the food here for the first time. Especially the concept of bread, ground up plant seeds that were heated for hours, was entirely incomprehensible to Ehlana.

However,this wasn’t the worst of it all. „And they kill and eat animals,“ she said and actually shuddered. Upon first trying meat, she wasn’t opposed to its taste, but after finding out the underlying process, that animals were slaughtered in the most causal and disrespectful way, she had not been able to take another bite and so far refused to eat it again.

This had resulted in a major change in her nutrition intake and she wasn’t yet sure how to compensate it or what effects it would have. So far she still felt fine. Maybe she would consult Dr. Valery about that if she got a chance.

„Do we still have anything here to eat, or do we need to get new stuff?“ she asked.

Gemnity – Downtown
Belobog Volkov, 'Belo'

"If we are running out of it, I guess I can go out and buy some." Said Belobog, Belobog had been reading books about cooking, and it definitely fascinated by the idea of it.

Unlike others, Belobog did not mind of doing cooking and washing dishes. He actually loved it. Besides, one day that Sun was going to be theirs. To Belobog, this was a great opportunity to learn about it and grow them. But Belobog agreed with Ehlana with one thing though, he did not like how they kill animals. Even though, it tasted great, he was not a big fan of the idea. Belobog could not understand the logic behind it, they had vegetables, fruits, rice, cakes and etc. Why they had to kill something that bleeds?

Anyways, the only downside of his curiosity of the food was that he always took his time in shopping for ingredients.

------------

Military Base
Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka let her eyes stare at one particular thick branch of the tree; it was that tree alright, where her lover sometimes climbed up to visit her.

Nadenka was staring at the tree brunch blankly, then the man climbed up on the branch. He startled Nadenka, but knowing who he was, Nadenka shook her head in disagreement with his action. Instead of reacting to her response, the man got himself comfortable, leaning his back on the thick branch of the tree. "Hey, doc. You don't look so happy today?" said the man, Nadenka curled her lips looking away, "What's your problem this time? I thoroughly checked your condition. You are okay to leave the medical wing." The man smiled at her, "Well, you did not check my heart." Nadenka frowned, "what do you mean?" The man then suddenly jumped and got into the building through the opened window. Nadenka was shocked and surprised by his action. She stepped back, but barked at him the moment he looked fine. "Are you insane? You could have killed yourself!" The man dust himself off, "A Soldier like me? Nah, you are worrying too much, Doc." then the man smiled at her, coming closer, and then took Nadenka's hand, putting her hand to his chest. "But not seeing you, doc, I feel like I could die in any moment. Nadenka, can't you feel it? My heart is beating so fast whenever I see you and when you are out of my sight, I feel like it's breaking apart." Nadenka's face turned red like red cherry.

Nadenka let her lips smiled, but she could hear the sound of cracking of her heart. He was no longer coming to visit her. But, the memory of him kept on coming back to her as if he was going to climb that tree and pull that stunt again.

Nadenka shook her head, she had duty to fulfill, until then she was not free to reminisce. The report could not wait. Even knowing that, her feet stopped and she couldn't help herself but to turn around... Like always, there was no one. She turned around again and kept on walking.

Gemnity - Downtown
- Ehlana -

Ehlana exchanged a look with Alexei to see what he thought, when Belo offered to buy some ingredients and cook. Then she shrugged. "I don't mind it," she said.

Then she lifted her finger in a half-threatening motion. "But you better not just get meat," she added. "I want vegetables."

She had no interest in cooking, even though from her observation it seemed to be something women here enjoyed. And Belo apparently. She didn't quite understand his obession with it, but she also didn't mind it and as long as they had time for it, there was no harm. They had to eat afterall.