Chapter 5:

Chapter 3: Verilo (Part 1)

Irradiated World


“Why were you there!?”

The second the words left his mouth, Aria’s face twisted in confusion. She could feel the anger emanating from his entire body.

“Huh?”

She couldn’t say anything in response. She was just doing what she thought was right. She couldn’t comprehend what he found so wrong about that.

“I was-”

“You were doing what everyone else does. Assuming that you know what’s best for me!” Aria was cut off as Nic stood up violently. He was lashing out verbally, daggers in his eyes whenever they darted to her.

“What’s best for you?! How is chaining yourself to the wishes of a person 300 years dead the thing that’s best for you? What about what you want? Didn’t you say that you wanted to make your future children's lives better than your own!”

“That’s exactly what I was trying to do!” Aria stopped as Nic rebutted her question. “You’ve seen my standard of living. How I dressed before I met you. The number of times I have worn torn clothes because I had nothing else. The house I live in is falling apart at the seams. Half of what I eat is rotten, and the other half can barely be called food. My family has lived like that for three hundred years. And we would continue to live like that for two hundred more if I didn’t do something!”

With every word, his voice grew hoarser. At some point, tears began forming in his eyes. Aria was stunned speechless. Had she truly been in the wrong? Had she unknowingly destroyed that which she wanted to help?

She started to raise her hand. She needed to reach out to him. To salvage what she could. But his frozen gaze stopped her. The daggers pierced her. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her, opposing her will to move forward.

“And now… Now my family… Now I will never get peace. You did that. You ruined everything! I…” Aria trembled. She didn’t want him to continue. She pleaded in her heart for him to stop. She tried to open her lips, yet her body continued to defy her. The cord that tied the two of them together had strained so much that only a single thread remained. Taut as it could be, Aria desperately needed it to stay.

“I… I hate you!”

The last thread snapped.

“I never want to talk to you again!”

Her knees dug into the dirt.

“Go run off to Sanum and never come back here!”

Something warm rolled down her cheeks. Her breathing stopped.

“I hate you.”

A whisper. The final whisper he would say to her. The daggers were no longer there. Nic was no longer in front of her.

The body that had been opposing her out of fear finally gave way. Water streamed down her cheeks as her body struggled to breathe.

Her mind had gone blank. She had nothing. The connection that she had grown to value so much had been ripped from her. And she was the only one to blame it seemed. In her hubris, in thinking that she knew what Nic wanted, she had destroyed the one thing that always brought her joy. She had hurt the one person she cared about more than anything or anyone else.

At that moment, time had no meaning for her. At that moment, there was no feeling within her. At that moment, her surroundings could have been the lava bed of a volcano, and she would have never noticed.

She would have fallen onto her side and curled up into a ball if silent footsteps had not approached her.

Had he come back? Would he comfort her, apologizing and claiming it was a heat-of-the-moment outburst? Would the cord of connection between them be rewoven in a manner of seconds?

That hope spurred her to lift her head, open her eyes, and look at the one who stood before her. Instead of the brown-haired boy she had hoped for, Aria found a short, stout man with rustic red hair staring down at her with pupil-less eyes.

“R-ust?” Her voice was hoarse, catching itself in her throat. The man looked away from Aria, staring through the forest. Aria felt like he was looking at something she couldn’t see.

“Do you understand why I tried to stop you, miss?” Rust’s low voice rang in Aria’s ears as he slowly turned to look back at her. She knew what he meant. Their first time meeting, just a few hours ago, he had told her exactly what Nic had said. And she had refuted him at the time. Oh, how wrong she had been.

“I know…” Aria looked down at the ground, ashamed of her actions, saddened by what occurred.

“So what will you do now?”

Aria snapped her head to Rust. His arms were crossed in front of him and his white eyes stared directly at her as if peering into her very being. She shakily got to her feet, her answer clear in her mind.

“I… I need to find Nic. I need to apologize to him. I… Did you see where he went, Rust?”

“He’s heading toward that little camp the two of you made on the hill.”

Hearing that, Aria’s heart began to beat just a little bit faster. Her mind began to speed up as she thought of ways to catch up to him. The easiest for her to do would be to make herself lighter with the air so she could run faster. Maybe push herself along with the air at her back as well.

She took a step forward.

And was met with a rock slab in her face.

“You can’t apologize right now.”

“Huh-! What? Why can’t I go?” Aria was just a bit frazzled by the stone slab and Rust’s declaration. Not even a second after she formed her plan had she been shut down.

“Apologizing to the kid now won’t do either of you any good. You need to wait and apologize when the time is right.”

Aria sighed and stepped back. Shaking her body to loosen it up, she thought back over what Nic had said, taking mental notes of everything she wanted to apologize for. Yet, something he had said was bugging her.

“Rust?”

“Hmmm?”

“Nic said something about his family having to spend another two hundred years as they were if he didn’t do anything. What did he mean by that?” Aria had cocked her head slightly to the side, inquisitively, as she posed the question to Rust.

“That’s simple. The Wind Spirit Progenitor Aeriel told us back then that he would reappear in five hundred years, and when he did, the Verilo of the time would be able to learn the ability to absorb and purify Irradiation. That was three hundred years ago. There should have been two hundred more years.”

This was the first time that Aria was hearing any of this. And more than anything this puzzled her.

“How did Nic… well, do what he did then?”
“That’s the interesting part,” Rust waved a finger in the air. “How did Nic unlock the talisman? That’s because his magic isn’t his magic.”

Aria stopped moving altogether. How was that not his magic? The two had spent so much time trying to get Nic to be able to use it, and now Rust was saying all that was for naught?

“What do you mean by that?”

“The magic Nic has been using is power drawn from a lesser wind spirit. A lesser wind spirit that just so happens to have the scent of Aeriel, meaning that Aeriel ordered it to create a contract with Nic.” A grin was nestled on Rust’s face.

“Aeriel… Then the Wind Progenitor is back?”

“That’s right. He’s probably already made a contract with someone.”

This was news to Aria. But it did explain everything. She knew a contract could be made without the human realizing it, though it would be weaker than a contract made with the human knowing. Nic may not have even known he had a contract, in which case he would assume the magic had been his all along.

“So-”
“Wait.” Rust abruptly cut her off, turning off towards the distance. Once again, it seemed like he was looking at something she could not see. “So it’s time then.” He turned back to Aria, the grin had turned into a grimace. “Looks like our conversation has to be cut short, you have somewhere you need to be.”
“Wha-?!” Aria quickly took a step back as Rust got close to her and started trying to turn her around.

“You need to get back to the rad-town you came from, as fast as you can. There is a hunter from Sanum who should be reaching there right about now.”

“A Hunter?!” Aria knew what they were. Every City-State or Nation had a contingent of them, or something akin to them. They were a well-trained police force whose goal was the eradication of anyone who dealt with Irradiation. If one was going to the Rad Town, that could mean only one thing. “He’s after the Verilos?”

“You catch on quick. That’s right. His main goal is the kid. You have to find a way to get him away from the Rad Town before the kid gets back there. Otherwise, humanity’s hope of getting rid of the Irradiation will disappear for good.”

“Wait,” Something was wrong with what he said. Nic had said that it was already gone, yet Rust implied that it wasn’t. “Didn’t I destroy the device that would give Nic the ability to purify Irradiation before he could learn it?”

“Yes, but he still has that ability within him. He just needs to unlock it now, just like every other magic.”

“Like every other magic?”

Rust pushed her from behind. She looked back at him, only to see him waving her on. He had nothing else to say to her. She held back the rest that she wanted to ask.

Just a few moments prior, Aria had come up with a plan to catch up to Nic. She enacted that plan but changed the planned outcome. Now her goal was the Rad Town that she had lived in for the past six years, Rad Town “S-012”.

The trees slipped by Nic as he stumbled through the bushes. His thumping in his chest wouldn’t stop, the warm water flowing down his face never cooled and the pain permeating through his entire body was going to last for too long.

His lungs gasped for air as he continued towards the campsite, made the night prior. His mind replayed what he had said over and over. Every time he saw her face at the end, the pain inside of him grew worse. Every time he ran faster.

He wanted to escape. To be as far away as he could.

The trust he had in her. The minute it was tested. All Nic did was revert to how he was with everyone else. He pushed her aside. He severed their connection.

She was broken by Nic’s words, her face had made that all too clear to him.

An emotional outburst. A single second. That was all it took for Nic to destroy the one thing he held close to his heart.

How could he ever look at her again? How could he ever talk to her again? How could he ever remember her?

Nic finally reached the clearing where they had made camp. The sun, now nestled high in the sky, beat down on his head as Nic’s lungs screamed for air. He collapsed to the ground, his hands clutching the bag in front of his knees.

Gasping for air, he opened the bag and pulled out the black-bound book sitting just inside of it. Everything he had done was because of this book. He had been so close. And it had all been destroyed in a single moment. That had been the impetus for his outburst.

Betrayed. That was how he had felt in the moment after absorbing the Irradiation from Aria’s body.

The grip on the book tightened. The power spoken of in it was gone. The device had broken. There was no other device like that, capable of being used in that manner, of that Nic was certain. He threw the book to the side. As much as it pained him, there was nothing left for him in that book. Irradiation will continue to ravage the world, and there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

A gust of wind blew past Nic’s head. The book he had thrown was now floating in the said wind. Its pages flowed gently in the wind. He slowly reached out his hand, grasping the floating book and stopping the gentle flapping of its pages. As he turned the book around, looking at both covers, he noticed a small green blob attached to the back of the book.

“The magic you used to get in here was a spirit’s magic. It was most likely a lesser wind spirit that was told to help you.”

The memory of Noah had said that to him when he was asleep in the house. For some reason, when he saw the green blob, this was the first thing that came to mind.

Was this what a spirit looked like? Nic wasn’t sure. Hell, he had never even seen the one that had supposedly been helping him these past few hours.

“Are you… the spirit that has been lending me their magic?” Realizing that it was being addressed directly, the small blob began circling the book in Nic’s hands. Its energetic and sporadic movements seemed to confirm Nic’s question. He took a rather large breath, steadying himself as he stood. He had a lot of questions for the small blob in front of him.

“I don’t know much about spirits, can you talk?” The blob shook itself back and forth. “I guess that’s a no then. Alright, why did you catch this book?” Nic raised the journal in his hands ever so slightly. The blob seemed to float in the air for a second, Nic wondered if he was looking at the book in some fashion, before moving itself behind the book and pushing it into Nic’s chest.

“You want me to keep on to it?” An energetic bob up and down caused Nic to frown as he looked between the blob and the book.

“There’s no reason for me to keep it. Nothing will ever happen again anyways, Aria made sure of that.” Nic flung the book to the side once again. The spirit quickly caught it in the wind again, bringing the book back to Nic’s hands. This only caused him to grow more irritated and throw the book to the ground.

“I don’t need it! Stop giving it back to me.” Nic emotionally lashed out at the spirit, at which it seemed to deflate as it hovered over the dirt-covered journal.

Disregarding the spirit, Nic walked around and made sure that none of his stuff had gotten out of the bag. Content that he had everything he needed, Nic walked to the edge of the clearing opposite of the direction the Verilo lands were in. He knew that there was a road that connected Sanum and the Rad Town he had lived in all of his life. It shouldn’t be too far away from the bottom of the hill he was on in the direction he was facing. Looking over his shoulder at the spirit sitting above the journal, Nic called out to him.

“I’m heading out. You can stay here if you want, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. Everyone leaves me, why shouldn’t a spirit be any different.” As he slung the bag over his shoulder, the wind picked up and blew past him. As it died down, he thought the bag felt a bit heavier than it should.

Looking back, the spirit was gone, though the book still seemed to be on the ground. A simple sigh escaped Nic’s lips as he began the trek toward the main road. The spirit was gone, as he expected. He didn’t have much time left either.

Nic rolled up his sleeve and looked at his right arm. Crawling along the skin of his upper arm were black tendrils. They reached just past his elbow. After absorbing so much Irradiation from Aria, he was surprised it was only showing this much on his skin. Aria had absorbed so much Irradiation in the Verilo Household that she had been completely covered in these tendrils.

Maybe it was just too soon for them to show up en masse. Nic was sure that he would soon enough start to show more symptoms of Irradiation Sickness. Even if he was a Verilo himself, he wasn’t immune to getting that sickness.

It didn’t take long for Nic to arrive at the road he had been heading to. Though a road wasn’t an apt description of it. It was more of a dirt section of the forest that simply happened to not have any trees or bushes on it. It was traveled so little that there weren’t even tracks of carriages that had gone through over the years.

Nic began walking down the edge of the road. He planned to simply camp out on it till he got back to the Rad Town. If, by some miracle, someone was traveling along the road, he might be able to get some company for a bit of time.

And so like this, Nic walked for a while. He walked alone, in silence until the sun was at its highest point in the sky. Right about then, Nic heard the sound of horses behind him. The rumbling of a carriage's wheels could be heard as well. He got over to the side of the road, keeping out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.

As it passed by him, Nic gaped at the vehicle itself. It wasn’t too outstanding, at least it wouldn’t be if it was in a line with other carriages, but it was finely crafted, even Nic could tell that much. A carriage of this quality meant that the people inside were most likely wealthy, and considering the direction they came from, they were most likely a high-ranking member of the Sanum elite.

But that created even more questions. Namely, why one would be on this road in particular. Were they heading to the Rad Town? Why? Has someone figured out that the Verilos were hiding there? Was it even safe for Nic to head back at this point?

Nic slowly stopped walking as he stared at the carriage moving past. He quickly averted his gaze when the carriage came to halt just a few Mer in front of Nic. Hoping that it wasn’t because he had been staring at it, Nic quickly started moving again, his pace faster than it had been before he stopped.

Yet he was not that lucky. Before he could even get a few steps in, the door on the carriage popped open and an older gentleman leaned out. He had wrinkled, dark skin and disappearing gray hair, a demeanor that screamed confidence that came with age and experience, and a well-tailored brown suit with a white shirt.

“Hey boy! Are you heading to S-012? If so, do you want a ride?” The gentleman’s voice was deep and far stronger than Nic thought it would be. Not only that, the man had called out the Rad Town that Nic was going to by its identification number. If nothing else, this confirmed to Nic that this man was someone important.

“I don’t think that’s for the best. While I am heading to that Rad Town, I can manage just fine on my own. We wouldn't want a Rad Town resident getting someone of your status infected right?” Get away from this man. Nic’s body was screaming at him to do just that. He just needed the man to get back in his carriage and be on his way. The black veins on his arm were deadly to anyone who got in close contact with him.

Nic wouldn’t get his wish though. With a simple smile covering his face, the man chose his next words carefully.

“My status? What about your status? I would love to hear the thoughts of a Verilo straight from one himself.”

Nic froze in place. His once seemingly innocent look sharpened until he was glaring at the man. His right hand slowly moved to his pockets, searching for a certain knife. Yet it was not on him. He seemed to have lost it at some point that morning.

“Hm? You don’t need to be so worried, boy. I hold no grudge against you or your ancestors. Nor do I wish to harm you in any capacity. I’m simply offering to hear your story while we travel to S-012.” The man tried to placate the frozen Nic. His voice oozed with sweet words, but to Nic, it was all a ploy.

To Nic, it would always be a ploy, especially after what he had just gone through. Trust had always been the one thing he lacked, and the moment he had been close to putting his trust in someone else it had been burned in an instant. And now this man was offering him a way to get back home quickly. Not only that, he claimed to not care about Nic’s heritage. If nothing else, that alone would have required Nic’s trust in the man.

“I refuse your offer.” Nic had made up his mind from the beginning. There was no other choice in this matter.

The gentleman’s smile faded and a worried look came over his face. He disappeared from the doorway, heading back into the carriage. Nic could hear him talking with someone else in the seating area. There was another person in there. The man’s head popped back out after a bit. He smiled a bit when he saw Nic still standing there.

“It seems to me that you don’t know how to answer my proposition yourself.” Nic shot daggers toward the man at his comment.

“And what does that mean?”
“Well, if you didn’t want the ride to S-012, you would have started walking again, right?”

For some reason that Nic couldn’t explain, he had stayed in the same spot the entire time. It had been the perfect opportunity for him to continue moving on. Yet he had stayed put. He had waited. Looking down at his own body, Nic moved his arms first, then his legs. He was perfectly capable of moving. His body was not frozen or anything like that. He had simply stood still, waiting.

“I…” He was at a complete loss of words. He shouldn’t want to put his trust in a stranger. Being against taking this man’s offer was the logical thing. And yet, he somehow found himself unable to outright object to it a second time.

As if rebelling against his confused mind, Nic’s legs began moving on their own. One step, two steps. With each step, the crunching of dirt echoed in Nic’s ears. It didn’t take too many steps for him to arrive at the side of the carriage. He looked up, the road in front of him stretching out into the distance. At its end was the Rad Town that Nic had grown up in. The place he called home. And beside him was a carriage, drawn by two brown healthy horses. In it, he would probably get home before the sun was even halfway down the sky.

“If you come on the carriage, I do have some info that I think you will want to know.” The man spoke up again. Nic looked over at him. From this angle, he realized the man was quite tall. The reason he had been sticking his upper body out of the door, and not fully stepping up to it was because he was slightly hunched over. He was too tall to stand up straight in the carriage.

Behind him, in the cart, Nic could see a female sitting. He couldn’t see much about her. She was staring out of the window on the opposite side of the carriage and her long black hair was covering the rest of her face that would normally be visible.

On the surface, Nic thought that he was sure he wanted to turn the offer down, yet something inside of him was stopping him. A sharp gust of wind pushed Nic from the side, forcing him to take a step towards the carriage. Something or someone had made his decision for him.

“Welcome aboard this fine carriage. Let me introduce myself.” The man held out his hand to Nic. Gingerly reaching up, Nic grabbed the hand and was pulled up onto the carriage by a strength that surprised Nic. “The name is Ordwell Chapman.”

Ordwell sat down next to the female rider on one side of the carriage while motioning for Nic to sit on the side opposite of them. Taking the bag off of his shoulder, Nic set it down next to him as he sat down. What none of the three occupants of the Carriage saw was the small green blob sitting just inside the bag.

“My first name is Nic.” He quickly said his first name. His eyes were drawn to the mysterious third passenger who seemed to refuse to look at him.

“Sorry for my companion here.” Ordwell gently nudged the passenger. “You should at least introduce yourself.”

“Casey Aratel.” A curt introduction, short and said in a deadpan voice. Nic thought he sensed hate underneath her forced deadpan voice, but he didn’t feel like prodding the hornet's nest by asking about it.

A sigh from Ordwell seemed to validate Nic’s thoughts. “Sorry about her. She’s the current Vision and isn’t a big fan of the overall situation we are currently in.” Ordwell offered an apology in place of Casey, though Nic hardly took note of it. Instead, he wondered about a few things in the apology itself.

“Um… what’s a Vision?” Nic’s question was simple really. He had never heard of a “vision”.
“Oh, well… you haven’t heard of the Visions?” Nic shook his head. Ordwell looked a bit confused, like this should have been general knowledge to Nic. “Well, I guess I can explain it then.”

“Visions are a group of people who awaken to a specific magic that lets them see Irradiation at all times, no matter how much of it there is. A normal person can only see Irradiation when there are large amounts of it in a small area, but Visions can see even the smallest amount coming off of a rock. They are also able to see Irradiation on maps.”

Someone who could see Irradiation. No wonder Ordwell had assumed Nic would know about it. It seemed like something that Verilos should know about, yet he had never heard of one.

“So there are a few people who can see Irradiation? That’s news to me.”

“Ah, actually it’s only ever one person at a time. Currently, Casey here is the Vision.”

“I see.” Nic thought about it. With only one person able to see Irradiation, that would certainly give the City-State or Nation where they lived a massive advantage over others. But how it affected the Verilo’s, Nic was unsure. “And this affects me in what way?”

“To a Vision, Verilos look like someone who is completely consumed by Irradiation Sickness when seen in person. And when looking at a map, Verilos are always shown through completely black dots.” As Ordwell was about to answer Nic, he had been cut off by Casey. After hearing her words, Nic was sure his face didn’t hide the shock he was feeling. “That’s how we knew who you were. Last night I saw your dot next to Ground Zero. So I told Mr. Chapman.”

“You also told Jack. Don’t forget that he’s the whole reason we’re in this mess now.” Ordwell cut Casey off, earning him a deep glare from Casey.

When she turned her head to glare at Ordwell, Nic finally got a good look at her face. Cupped on either side by her long black hair, she had an innocent face. Her dark tan skin was smooth and young, her brown eyes soft. No makeup adorned her face, though Nic figured that was a conscious choice considering the red tint in her eyes.

“Yes, I understand that, you do not need to keep reminding me!” Casey seemed to notice Nic’s gaze and turned to him. “What is it? No, never mind I don’t really care. You’re too bright to keep looking at anyways.” With that, her head once again went towards the window of the carriage. However, both Ordwell and Nic were staring at her, dumbfounded by what she had said.

Nic was just told that he should look like someone with acute Irradiation sickness, yet she said he was too “bright” to look at. If anything, Nic thought he should be darker, owing to the fact that Irradiation appears black when it is visible.

“Bright…?” Ordwell was the first to speak up. He was just as confused as Nic, and it showed on his face.

“He doesn’t look like a Verilo should. Something happened to you last night, didn’t it? What did you do while at ground zero? What made you like this?” Without even glancing at him, Casey quickly fired off her questions to Nic. In response, he simply sat there, a dumbfounded look on his face. Had he been deemed not a Verilo because of what happened? Had the incident caused even something like this? But he still had an increased Irradiation resistance, showcased by the fact that he could still act normal despite how much Irradiation he had pulled from Aria’s body that morning. Even the fact that he could still absorb Irradiation from others seemed to argue that he was still a Verilo.

“Nic, I think it’s about time we hear your story. If anything, we might be able to figure out what actually happened.” Ordwell spoke softly. Sincerity sat behind his face. Nic opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Could he so easily tell them everything? Could he accept them knowing all he had done and tried to do?

“I…” It seemed that Nic’s body already knew the answer even if his mind didn’t. He slowly began speaking. He spoke about everything. From the minute he found the diary until the second the carriage passed by him. He found everything coming out so easily it scared him a bit. Not one thing that he knew was held back.

Neither Casey nor Ordwell outright interrupted Nic while he was speaking, though a few scoffs cut through from time to time. Apparently, Casey was not too impressed with him, especially toward the end. Though Nic barely faulted her for that.

Ordwell had a grimace plastered on his face by the time Nic stopped speaking. For a minute or two, the carriage became deathly quiet. The sounds of the wheels on the dirt outside and the marching hooves of the horses pulling the carriage were the only things that could be heard.

Casey was the first one to break the silence.

“So you can absorb Irradiation now? And you were about to gain the ability to nullify the Irradiation in your body when this Aria prematurely stopped everything? Is that the gist of your situation?” Nic sat with his shoulders drooped. The way Casey had asked her questions had been devoid of any emotion. Nic was a bit scared about what it meant for him. Silently he nodded to answer all of her questions at once.

“I think I understand why he’s bright now, Mr. Chapman.”

“Mmmm. Nic’s the light that the world has been searching for the past three centuries, right?”

“That’s what it seems like to me.”

Nic slowly lifted his head. The two were talking as if there wasn’t a glaring problem with what Nic had explained.
“But! I can’t purify the Irradiation in me. If I absorb too much, I’ll just end up killing myself!” How could he be this light that Ordwell mentioned if he was just going to die before the world was freed of Irradiation?

“Is that really true? Nic, how much do you know about awakening the magic in one’s blood?”

“Huh?”

“When each kid awakens their magic at a young age, they aren’t gaining the magic right then and there. It’s always been with them. They just learn how to access it at that point.” Nic’s eyes slowly started to widen, the truth slowly forming in his brain even before Ordwell finished what he was saying. “If the locks that were in your blood are now gone, then you should still be able to awaken the ability to purify the Irradiation in your body.”

It was something he had never considered. Would going through a normal awakening work for him? What was required of it? Most people experienced their awakenings before they turned 10. Nic was coming up on 17. Was it even possible for him to still experience an awakening?

“Can I even do that? I’m seventeen. Most awakenings happen before a child turns ten right?”

“You would simply need to experience a large amount of emotions in a short period of time. It’s not unheard of for someone as old as you to awaken to their magic. As for how emotional you need to get,” Casey shrugged her shoulders. “That I can’t tell you.”

A lot of emotions… It was a tall order for Nic. What kind of emotions would he be able to muster up in that amount? How would he conjure them up? He tried to wrap his head around everything, but only grew more confused.

“There might be an easy way for us to achieve that here.” Ordwell silently looked out of the window towards a small village wall made of wood that had just come into visual distance. “Nic, we’re at S-012.” Nic turned to look out the window and saw the familiar fence that enclosed the Rad Town.

“What do you mean there is an easy way here? What could there possibly be?” He quickly turned to Ordwell, wondering just what he had planned for him.

“It’s time you hear why I came all the way out here to S-012 with Casey. Last night, before informing me of your escapades to Ground Zero, she informed a member of the Sanum contingent of Hunters.” Another word, another occupation that Nic had never heard of. This one sounded deadlier though. Looking over at Casey, he saw her head turned even further from Nic.

“Hunter?”

“Of course, you don’t know since you didn’t know what a Vision was. Hunters are like a military police force. They are technically multi-national though most contingents report to the government of the City-State or Nation they reside in. They hunt individuals who are found to be using Irradiation in harmful ways.”

A police force that hunted those who used Irradiation. It seemed to Nic like they were a force created to stop the Verilos if they ever created another Irradiated Winter like their ancestor.

“You think they were created to hunt down any Verilo who tries to do the same as your Ancestor 300 years ago, correct?”

“How did you…?”

“It was written on your face. While I won’t deny the accusation, they mostly go after those who use pockets of Irradiation in the world to kill innocent people. And there just so happens to be one in S-012 right now, looking for you and your parents.”

That was what he had meant. Nic had to find a way to stop the hunter from killing his family, or any other innocent people in the Rad Town he had grown up in. How was that fair to Nic? This hunter was presumably trained in combat, while Nic had absolutely none.

“Is this not a death sentence? How am I supposed to go up against a trained fighter?”

“You aren’t,” Ordwell lost any emotion on his face as he looked Nic straight in the eyes, causing him to gulp unconsciously. “All you have to do is turn this Rad Town into a City State of its own.”

“Excuse me!? You want me to do what?” Nic couldn’t hold back his voice after hearing what Ordwell said.

“If S-012 is turned into a City-State, Jack will have no jurisdiction here. Hunters do not have any jurisdiction in places they are not from unless given express permission by that area’s governing body.”

“S-S-So me, someone who will die if I absorb too much Irradiation, am supposed to absorb enough Irradiation to turn a Rad Town into a City State to stop this Hunter from hurting anyone?” Nic stammered out his question, desperately trying to wrap his head around what Ordwell was proposing.

“That’s correct.”

“How am I supposed to survive that? Better yet, how am I even supposed to absorb the Irradiation in something that I can only touch? Do I need to run around every little area in this place and touch everything and everyone?” The task was impossible. There was no way that Nic could do it. And yet Ordwell simply continued to sit there, smiling up at Nic, even as the carriage came to halt.

“I’m sure that you will be able to find a way, Nic. And remember, your emotions are the key to success here. Casey and I will stay back and only come closer if things aren’t looking good.” As Ordwell was talking, the door to the carriage next to the two of them swung open. Ordwell motioned to Nic that it was time for him to get off.

Grabbing his bag roughly, Nic quickly landed on the ground. Looking back he saw Ordwell once again sitting at the edge of his seat, leaning out of the door.

“I look forward to seeing your success!-”

Aria had made it back to the Rad Town only a bit before Nic would eventually arrive. Despite her masterful control over the wind, there was only so much she could do to increase her speed. Even still, to make a journey of nearly 60 Ker in just a few short hours would sound crazy to practically everyone in the Rad Town.

It was awfully quiet. That was the first thing she noticed. Considering the sun had yet to set, people should still be active throughout the Rad Town, which means that there should have been audible noises coming from the small circular town.

The two guards that should have been at the entrance she was walking up to were gone as well. Even if they were switching shifts, the gates should never be left unattended.

“Where is everyone?” Aria muttered to herself as she sneaked a peak past the entrance. There was no one walking the streets. No one entering or leaving homes. She didn’t even see smoke from any fires lit to cook meals.

The Hunter that Rust had told her about was most likely responsible for this. If they truly were searching for Nic or his family, the fastest way would be to round up all hundred or so residents of S-012 and bring them into the same place.

“But where do they have them at? The Town Center or the Farm?” Either option would easily hold the amount of people needed. But only the Town Center would be easy to get to. Trying to sneak into the farm buildings without making any noise would likely be impossible.

Hoping it would be the former and not the latter, Aria made her way into the Rad Town. While it would be easiest to make her way down the path that leads from the town's entrance to the town center, Aria would be spotted far too quickly if they had put everyone there. Instead, she found herself sneaking between the building near the short road. Thankfully the buildings were all close enough, especially the closer to the center she got, that there was next to nothing between them.

It didn’t take long for her to start hearing voices arguing with each other. Unluckily, she knew both members of the arguing match. Reaching the final building, sitting on the edge of the Town Center, Aria snuck a glance around the corner, confirming the growing pain in her head she was feeling.

Standing almost directly in the center of the Town were a man and a woman. The woman looked a lot like Aria, after all, it was her mother standing there arguing with the man opposing her. Aria also knew the man standing there, from the time she had lived in Sanum. After all, Jack Cariatel the Hunter was a man who had been idolized by a boy Aria had once called a best friend.

Cowering behind her mother were two adults that Aria had rarely seen in town. Yet she instantly knew them. They both bore a striking resemblance to their son, down to the quality of their clothes.

“Get out of my way, Wendy! Stop protecting those fiends!”

“I’m not budging one cer, Jack. You are not going to lay a hand on these citizens of S-012.”

“D-d-d-d-darling, please just get out of Mr. Cariatel’s way. I’m sure the rest of the town would love to be able to get back to their evenings.”

While her mother was standing up for the two grown Verilos, her father was on the side, trying to get through the events without his wife getting hurt, even if it meant throwing the Verilos to the Hunter. Aria desperately wanted to smack her father in the face for what he was saying but would have to accept simply hearing the sound of her mother doing just that instead.

“Kayde, get your act together! And Jack, I swear to the Progenitors, if you do not show me orders from Ordwell right now… Ooooh you do not want to know what is going to happen to you.”

“Fine then, bitch, if you aren’t going to step aside,” In an instant, a long spear-like rock appeared in Jack’s hand. “Then you are going to die as well.”

Aria couldn’t see her mother’s face. She was facing away from her, towards Jack. So Aria didn’t know what kind of expression had made Jack’s face contort in such ways.

Time seemed to slow down for Aria as she reached out her hand. It was a bit further than she had ever done, but Aria reached out for the air in between her mother and Jack. She begged for it to condense. Seemingly accepting her control over the powerful magic capabilities she had, the wind listened to her. It condensed, growing ever closer together until it stopped the stone spear mid-lunge.

Jack’s face of rage quickly gave way to pure shock.

That shock only grew as Aria quickly forced the now condensed air to rapidly expand in Jack’s direction. A loud crash could be heard throughout the Town Center as Jack went flying through a wooden door leading to the Farmhouse nearly 30 mer behind him.

Using the few precious seconds of respite that would bring, Aria rushed towards the center where her mother was standing.

Aria stopped in front of her mother, a small blade made of condensed wind in one hand.

“Aria? What are you doing?”

“Now’s not the time. Take the Verilos and get out of here Mama, I’ll keep Mr. Cariatel busy.”

Aria turned towards the sound of wood moving as she talked. Holding the small wind blade in front of her defensively, she waited for a response from him. Her arm was raised in a swing and a rock shattered in two before her very eyes.

She didn’t see it with her eyes in the end. The only reason Aria knew that a rock was about to hit her was the displacement of the wind. Her breathing stopped as her mind caught up to what had just happened. Jack was standing in front of the now-ruined barn door. A trickle of blood seeped past the eyes that glared at her.

“I remember you. The little brat that always hung around Sarman. Why don’t you stand aside and let me do my job.” In spite of the glare, Jack spoke with confidence in a calm manner. After all, what he is doing is only natural, at least in his mind it is.

“Sorry, but I’m protecting my parents from this little rampage of yours.”

“And what about the disgusting Verilo’s behind even them? Are you going to protect them as well? Are you willing to betray the world we live in? Just like that?” One rock began floating next to Jack’s head. Then a second rock, and a third. Aria knew that no matter how she answered, if she refused to stand down in any way, those rocks would soon be requesting to meet her head. She silently shuffled her feet ever so slightly and attempted to loosen her muscles a bit without dropping her guard.

“If that’s what it takes to stand next to him again… then I guess I am.” Before she had even finished talking, a rock had been flung her way.

Her right arm, holding the blade of wind, slashed up, creating a wind blade that shot toward the rock. Yet before her hand had completed its arc, two more rocks had been flung at her. Using her left hand, she reached out and stopped the two extra rocks, using the same method as his original sword strike.

Four rocks appeared this time, and again Aria made slashing cuts with the blade in her right hand while using her left hand to slow down the ones she couldn’t cut with the blade. With each wave of rocks she stopped from hitting her or anyone behind her, more would come.

Until they finally stopped. Aria’s lungs were burning from a deep fire. As she breathed in, the flames only grew larger and the pain and discomfort grew. Aria had never been in a true fight before. Let alone a fight with her life on the line. Her body was rejecting the intense strain being put on it by her constant use of magic.

And that’s what made the break in Jack’s attacks so deadly. As she struggled to catch her breath, he was simply standing there, a massive rock spinning in front of him. No, he was holding it like a spear. It was far longer than Aria had thought.

The spear made of rock left his hands and came flying towards Aria. She struggled to stand up straight, her lungs refusing to deliver oxygen to her lungs.

She raised her hand. She wished for the wind to listen to her. To stop the spear.

But she was too late.

“WENDY!”

How far had she been flung before she hit the ground?

10 Mer?

15?

Aria didn’t know. But she could feel the sharp jabs of gravel underneath her, and the force of something laying on top of her. Her right arm felt unnaturally warm. Something wet was on it as well.

She pushed the thing on top of her off, only to realize that it was someone, not something. She looked over at the body now laying next to hers. Where their left arm should have been was a red mess. Something was dripping from where the shoulder should have connected the arm.

Aria scrambled onto her knees. She grabbed both of the body’s shoulders and brought the person up to her breast, hugging her tightly.

“Ma… ma…?”

The body in her arms coughed lightly.

“Put… me down… Aria…”

Aria’s vision began to blur. Any burning she had in her lungs, any pain she felt at all, was all gone. In its place was a new feeling. It was the same feeling she had felt that morning. The person in her arms was too precious. She was too important. Aria couldn’t lose her. She couldn’t let go.

Her breathing was scattered and erratic, Aria was trying to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Instead, water began to trickle down her cheeks. The shaking arm of the mother held in her arms reached out and wiped the tears away.

“There’s no need… for those. Aria, listen… to me,” The arm cupping her cheek moved down and rested above her heart. “Know that… whatever choices you make… in the future… even for that… boy, I’ll… accept it. Because… I know that this thing… will make the best ones… for you.”

“Mama…” Barely able to squeak out even that single word, the tears in Aria’s eyes came rushing out.

Her mother turned her head to look at the man who had been standing on the other side of her body.

“Kayde… support Aria… Be a good father… from now on…” Wendy’s voice was fading, getting weaker. Aria hugged her tighter. She couldn’t let go. If she did, then her mother would truly disappear.

“Oh look at this sorry sight! This is what happens when you get in my way.” Jack Cariatel, the Hunter from Sanum, stood with Nic’s mother in his grasp. Her hair was held with one hand, a stone spear mere cer away from her neck.

Aria shook as she cried. She wanted to kill him. With every fiber of her being, Aria wanted Jack dead. She didn’t care about the past time she had spent hearing about him. What that boy from years ago would think didn’t matter to her. The only thing that stopped her right there and then was her mother. Her want to keep her mother close to her, to keep her from dying, outweighed her want to personally kill Jack.

Her father didn’t have that restraint. He quietly turned towards Jack, speaking in a voice lower than Aria had ever heard.

“Jack…”

s.