III - Invasion of Altair

The red-haired Fanghui announced on every screen in both Cyanic Odyssey and real life.

"Citizens of Altair! I bring urgent news! The UICA has deceived you all! Cyanic Odyssey players have been trapped within the game world with no way to log out. Dying in the game would mean dying in real life! The UICA has been conspiring with the Vulpi to destroy your country!"

Shien, Phoenicia, Elysia, and Enshiron watched the live footage of the Federation leader. Fanghui had one red and one teal eye, along with red hair. He wore a red martial arts robe embroidered with three interlocked triangles in Valknut, an ancient Nordic symbol.

Elysia shuddered in fear, knowing the terrible deed the Waxing Sickle had done to Fanghui. She wasn't there when her Waxing Sickle friends slaughtered Fanghui's family, but she felt guilty for helping them with similar activities.

What would they think if they found out I used to be part of the Waxing Sickle? Elysia worried as Fanghui continued his speech.

"Please don't fret! The Global Federation aims for world safety! We wish to help your country! We will not stand back and watch Altair suffer from the UICA's plot backed by the evil foxes!"

Black-armored Reaper Squad commandos stood beside Fanghui. They were his secret police, specializing in hunting the Vulpi and anyone who helped them. They held bayoneted rifles and had capes laced with mercury.

"We will conduct an invasion of Altair to destroy the UICA, the people who trapped your loved ones in Cyanic Odyssey! Don't fear! We'll bring justice to the UICA and their Vulpi conspirators. We'll find a solution to free the players from the game!"

"I can't watch anymore," Elysia swiped her screen off and walked away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Shien asked.

Elysia sniffed. "You three are very nice, but you don't want me to be your friend if you knew my past."

"Hold on! What do you mean?"

The Vulpi girl ran out of Enshiron's bar as the players finished watching Fanghui's message, screaming in distress.

***

Maybe I'm a monster. That's what I get for being part of the Waxing Sickle. Elysia cried alone beside a lake in Tetrachrome City. I helped them do many terrible things. We wronged Fanghui, and he'll make our race pay dearly for it.

"My fair lady!" Enshiron's voice called.

The Vulpi girl twitched her fox ears, turning around to see Shien, Phoenicia, and Enshiron. While the rest of Tetrachrome panicked about the inability to log out, the three friends focused on Elysia.

"W-why are you three here?" Elysia blinked. "I said you all don't want to be my friend if you knew me."

"That's a vague statement, Elysia. I insist you elaborate," Phoenicia sat with her.

"Come on, Elysia. Enshiron's into you! Don't leave him hanging!" Shien elbowed Elysia with a giggle.

Enshiron cleared his throat. "Ahem! I'm in full denial of what this gentleman claimed."

Elysia looked at the handsome Vulpi boy. "I-I'm happy you like me. I like you, too, but I used to be evil."

"Why would one fear the past, dear Elysia?"

"Look, Enshiron," Elysia sighed. "Do you know why Fanghui wants to destroy our race?"

"My teacher, Master Oreic, told me of Fanghui's tension with the Waxing Sickle."

Shien scratched his head. "I remember Uncle Oreic telling me about the Waxing Sickle being a bad Vulpi group."

Elysia nodded with a deep breath. "E-exactly. I-I used to be a part of that group."

Shien and Enshiron gasped. Although Phoenicia didn't fully understand such real-life events, she still listened to the best of her abilities. Elysia looked away from the trio but decided to tell her story.

"I know what you're all thinking, and yes, I made many bad choices. The Waxing Sickle always told me I was helping them fight against human discrimination against the Vulpi. But that was all a lie."

The Vulpi girl paused to see if the trio would leave yet, but they were still present and all ears.

"The Waxing Sickle was just a bunch of Vulpi thugs who lie, cheat, and steal from humans. We knew humans couldn't use magic like Vulpi, so we robbed the weaker humans and took what we wanted."

Elysia looked again to see if the three had left, but they didn't. It surprised her that Shien, Phoenicia, and Enshiron were still listening to her.

"I did want to leave, but the Waxing Sickle took loyalty seriously. They wouldn't hesitate to kill their members who didn't follow their ways. I stayed for a long time because I feared rejection. I eventually snuck out and left them for good, but I wish I did that sooner instead of being afraid of what they'd do to me."

Elysia sobbed, covering her face.

"The Waxing Sickle made a poor example of our race, Enshiron. I wasn't there when they hurt Fanghui, but I did help them hurt humans similarly. The Waxing Sickle and I brought Fanghui's wrath upon our race."

The Vulpi girl sniffed. "There, I told my story. I'm sorry I wasn't the friend you wanted."

Elysia looked away, believing her three friends would condemn her. There was a moment of silence, but soon Enshiron sat beside her.

"My dear, we appreciate you telling your story. It's certainly a tale of woes," Enshiron held Elysia's hand. "But surely, you don't believe your past defines you, correct?"

"Why do you ask?" Elysia blushed when she looked at Enshiron's charming green eyes. "I-I've tried making friends before, but they left me when they found out about my past with the Waxing Sickle."

"Those people aren't very nice. It's unfair that people judge others by their past," Shien scooched next to Elysia. "But you cut your ties with the Waxing Sickle, right? Then, that's all that matters! You still did the right thing to leave those Vulpi thugs in the end!"

Phoenicia rubbed Elysia's back. "I've not known a person devoid of error. Thus, to judge oneself or others solely based on error is illogical."

"Huh, I've never thought about it that way," Elysia wiped her tears. "But you three still want to be friends with someone like me?"

Enshiron kissed Elysia's hand, making her face redden. "A valuable lesson Master Oreic taught is to forgive one another. Because how can the broken heal if nobody is willing?"

"Uncle Oreic is the best!" Shien grinned.

"Elysia, remember that Shien and Enshiron aren't perfect either!" Phoenicia winked. "Shien is a bird nerd unable to comprehend his below-average height."

"H-hey! Get over here, you tin can!" Shien jumped at Phoenicia.

Phoenicia dodged, letting Shien splash into the lake. "Meanwhile, Enshiron is a gentleman who overextends his flirting skills."

"M-my, how rude. Phoenicia's flaw is her sheer brutal honesty!" Enshiron elbowed the android. "But you understand the point."

Elysia cried joyful tears as the friends laughed at Shien climbing out of the lake like a wet chicken.

"T-thank you all, for being amazing friends," The Vulpi girl hugged her first true friends.

The four friends then looked at the city, where crowds of players panicked about the real-life news.

"What do we do now?" Shien asked. "I hope Mom's okay."

Enshiron sighed. "Well, dear comrades, for now, we stick together."

***

"My Little Chickadee isn't safe!" Isrina ran through the hallway towards the lobby.

"No! Don't go back there! The people will hurt you!" Saitori stopped her.

Oreic and the other colleagues locked the doors, making sure the rioting civilians in the lobby couldn't hurt them. Thanks to Fanghui's announcement, the people of Altair turned against the UICA. The Cyanic Odyssey anniversary was ruined as the violent people kicked tables, broke electronics, and brutally mauled UICA workers.

"But Shien needs me!" Isrina panicked.

"We'll help Shien, but we need another way to escape," Oreic huffed.

Saitori nodded. "All ground exits are blocked. We do have a cardinal jet on top. Follow me."

Isrina and Oreic followed Saitori upstairs.

"How did this happen?" Isrina breathed heavily. "Nothing was wrong with Cyanic Odyssey last time I checked! Saitori, I'm not lying!"

"Isrina, calm down. I believe you," Saitori frowned. "I know none of us would be that careless. We were likely sabotaged during our anniversary."

The trio stopped to look out the window. Giant, armored Federation zeppelins loomed over the country of Altair. The zeppelins with shark-jaw markings in the front aimed their cannons, firing at the UICA tower. The UICA workers panicked as the building shook. Meanwhile, the rioting civilians held their fists to cheer for the invasion of their country.

Isrina shook her head. "How can they welcome the destruction of their own country?"

"Fear clouds the mind from logic," Oreic sighed as the tower rumbled.

Saitori ran to a storage room.

"What are you looking for, Saitori?" Isrina fell on Oreic as another cannonball shook the building.

"A solution," Saitori grabbed a laptop from the pile of wired accessories. "I can create an antiprogram to free the players and your son. Anyway, let's get out of here and find Shien's body!"

Saitori logged into the laptop while running up the stairs with Isrina and Oreic. Suddenly, a UICA worker's dead body rolled past them down the stairs. Isrina, Saitori, and Oreic saw a tall man with spiky black hair. The man wore a seven-eyed tactical mask and was cloaked in a dark vampiric cape laced with mercury.

Isrina's blue eyes glared, recognizing the Reaper Squad leader who murdered Jinhai, her husband. The Federation persecuted anyone bearing Isrina and Shien's last name, Niang, masters of the Avian Form. Shien and Isrina are now the only two Niangs on Earth.

"Well, I spy three dead birds!" The man rotated his two pistols across his fingers, smirking at Isrina. "Tell me something, red bird. How's your poor Little Chickadee doing without his daddy? It must be lonely for poor little Shien after I shot every Niang's brain off!"

"Hernamidos! You made my life a living hell!" Isrina howled in tears. "Shien can't be happy because of you! I'll make you pay for being a curse to my family!"