Walking Titans

Another day passed. Each passing day made it feel even more likely for them that Glykeria’s comment would become the truth. None of them were pleased with the situation. No further orders came to them. It meant nothing but waiting on something likely never to happen. Their strength held in reserve as a pointless effort. Others were granted entertainment.

Rheia dropped her hand on the long stone table. The recent intel from the field agents tracking the intruders faded away. Their failures gave them some thoughts on being able to do something, but the signs remained clear. “That ends the meeting. Report back in twelve hours.” She leaned in her rigid chair as though it was comfortable. “Dismissed.”

“Boring!” shouted Glykeria with a tune in her voice. She darted around the room in an erratic pattern before breaking for the door. The massive stone door made no sign of budging for her. In the last second, a small break in one of the doors cracked and a makeshift door appeared swinging open for her. It was just the right height for her to make it through. Once through, it closed behind her and any sign of it disappeared.

Following behind her, Nereus walked away from the table. “Their continued successes may make them worth some small notice.” There seemed to be a bit of curiosity in his voice as he made for the door. The stone forcibly made an inelegant opening for him. It didn’t seem to want to touch him or perhaps the opposite. Behind him, the stone returned to normal.

Ourias remained disinterested during the entire meeting. His pace out of the room nearly caught him up to Nereus, despite being slower in acting. “Doors are nothing,” he commented mysteriously. The material of the stone seemed to shift and alter into a mist-like form as he passed through.

“Doesn’t really matter much if they show up or not. It won’t change anything,” Teris remarked on his leaving. He disappeared suddenly from sight in mid-stride not taking any concern for the door.

Her fist tightened up, shaking a little. “They better show up.” The aggravated tone in her voice marked something deeper inside her. She stood up sharply and made for the door. Her gaze went somewhere else, not giving the door any mind as she approached. When it came time to meet the door in an unforgiving fashion, she simply passed through it as though it held no form to her. She acknowledged none of it, making for the hallway in a brisk pace.

Chapter 227 – Walking Titans

Even though she left not much later than the other Titans, none of them were in the empty hallway. It was nothing that concerned her. She already knew where she stood with all of them. She knew too well their positions, repeated attempts made no change in it. She was stuck.

Eventually, the halls began to fill with members passing through. They were all eyes she recognized. They knew her. Many kept a wide margin between her.

Such behavior barely even made her notice anymore. She dealt with such fear for so long that she simply accepted it as her way of life. In the past, it annoyed her to no end. It pushed her to rage. Something she never realized, but the reaction they had of her currently was likely the result of her emotions to how she acted in the past. Unfortunately for her, the damage was long done. The effect she had on people could never be undone. It left her in an endless state.

The morning routine for her brought her just outside the main building of Omega. It was a large complex housing hundreds of soldiers, all gifted with the power. Among the Capital, it stood as one of the three most recognizable structures, only the Palace and Academy had equal prominence. The Omega Division complex was smaller than the academy, which had to support thousands, but stretched high into the sky. Its engineering was impossible with the materials it appeared to be made from, just another sign. However, it wasn’t as majestic as the sprawling Palace in form or beauty. It was like a giant needle ugly, but always present stabbing towards the heart a millimeter at a time.

Outside, Rheia turned immediately once she left the threshold. She then started walking up the curved foundation of the build until she was completely horizontal. The walk up the wall was as though it was just the ground for her. About ten meters up the wall, she stopped. The view of the courtyard gave her an unobstructed sight of everyone passing through.

Gravity did little to stop her. Her spiky mess of hair stayed in place with the same look of waking up in the morning, mostly because it was actually the case. If someone looked at her from the right angle, she would have been mistaken for standing on the ground.

Below her, she watched with deep intent at the others passing through the halls of Omega. None of them escaped her sights. A fight between two bickering agents over a mission broke out to the side, few cared about it (even less for Rheia). Several ran out, given the state of emergency in the country, they were likely just assigned to hunt down the intruders. Some were just not strong enough, which seemed a bit ironic for the elite of the MPs in Omega. However, the intruders’ strength had been measured and only the veterans deployed.

At the gate of the tall walls surrounding Omega, a young man stepped up to the imposing presence of the Omega Division. He had a clean and prepared appearance looking to make a good impression. However, most of his attention stuck to the giant structure. It was something always seen at a distance during the academy days. Those days reminded him of his friend, which pulled his eyes back to the stone path. It was fortunate for him, as someone waved to him. “There you are, Taras!” He rushed over to his friend’s side.

Taras threw out a hand to welcome him. “You made it back safely!”

“Yes, is the news true about the South Gate?”

He shrugged a bit, since most of his intel was rumors. “Heard they were wiped out by a group of rebels.”

“That’s crazy! I never would have imagined I’d be living in another rebellion.”

“It’s a little surreal thinking about it. But that’s why they have Omega, right?”

“Have they already deployed?”

“The halls aren’t as crowded. But enough of that talk.” Taras stepped up alongside his friend. “How you doing, Elias?”

Elias tried to open his mouth for an answer, but failed. Something whizzed by his leg almost knocking him over. It took him a moment to regain his balance with the help of Taras. “What was that?” The blur he saw didn’t give him any clear sign of what bumped him.

Craning his neck around, Taras looked for what struck his friend. The sight of a bright pink haired child jumped out amongst the subdued colors surrounding them. He knew immediately. “That’s Lieutenant Commander Glykeria, one of the Titans, or rather one of her dolls that hit you. She likes to use the courtyard in the morning to play.”

“A Titan?!” It took him back to see a Titan already. They were the elite, so he didn’t expect to see them around like one of Omega agents. “I heard stories about them, but to actually see them this close.” However, Glykeria’s appearance gave him an odd feeling. “Is she a new member?”

“No, I heard she’s one of the more veteran members. I think she’s been with them for ten years or so.”

“Ten years?” He looked closer at her, questioning his friend’s knowledge. “That can’t be right.”

Taras looked at Elias closely with words in his eyes. “Think about it.”

It didn’t immediately pick up to him what Taras implied, but it didn’t take long. “Oh, really?” Taras nodded to him. There wasn’t a lot more that needed to be said. It made sense to him, but it seemed that Taras knew nothing more with the short answer. The sight of her running off to the main building distracted him from his friend, still piecing things together. It surprised him to see her suddenly climbing the wall of the building with only her hands, her feet dangling free with no support.

Glykeria climbed the wall as though it was as natural as walking. When she made it up to Rheia’s position, she stopped and let one hand go free. Her body remained unfazed, as she appeared to be leaning against the wall with only the one hand keeping her attached from falling. “What’s up, Ray!” Her bubbly attitude pulled no response from Rheia. “Looking for fresh meat?” She glanced down at the ground.

Rheia caught sight of one she didn’t recognize entering the walls. ‘A new member…’ Her eyes narrowed as everything focused on the new MP stepping through. A young man bright eyed still filled with eagerness. Their voices carried to her, despite the impossible distance.

“So Elias…you finally made it into Omega,” his friend said with some excitement. “I knew you could do it!”

“Still can’t believe it.” He seemed a little embarrassed. His eyes glossed over everything. It was too much to take in with his mindset. “After I got dumped out in the North Gate, I thought I’d never be able to get in.”

Taras laughed a bit and grabbed him with a hardy hug at his shoulder. “Now we can do missions together here like we always dreamed, Elias! Just remember, things are more cutthroat around here.”

“Uh huh…” Something caught his eye. In all his staring, he discovered Rheia. It was an unusual sight, even if he understood how she managed it. He hardly expected to see someone just standing on the wall staring like a hawk over everyone.

“Something wrong? Getting nervous?”

“Who’s that?”

“Oh stay away from her, that’s Commander Rheia of the Titans.”

The man’s eyes grew in surprise, not expecting to find the infamous Rheia out among everyone. Her name was enough to make him start to sweat a little. Despite only being the third most powerful MP in the country, he was more afraid of her than the others in front of her. “Are the stories true?”

“Worse, she’s killed several of her teachers from what I heard during her early days in Omega. She regularly almost kills anyone that challenges her. So don’t even think about her, Elias.”

A small gasp came out of his mouth. The rumors seemed true. He remembered the Academy was always a buzz with stories about her, usually ones meant to scare children. “Is it true what they say? She accepts anyone’s challenge regardless of rank?”

“Yes, that’s why I said don’t even think about her. You know why she’s standing up there, right?”

“Huh?”

“It’s an open challenge. She’s asking anyone that can meet her up there for a fight. There’s too many idiots and cocky bastards in here that can only think of the glory of taking her down.” His friend looked over at him checking on his condition. It seemed he wasn’t afraid enough, more curious. “You know why she asks them to fight up there?”

Elias turned his head back down to his friend, distracted by the sight. “Why?”

“It’s a test she’s giving. Most of us don’t have Addendums setup in our Fields to stand like that. So you have to modify your Field just to fight her, which will throw anyone off. Then if you’re not smart, you have a ten meter drop if you’re lucky. Most end up with broken backs or bodies just from slipping up in the first ten seconds, if they last that long.”

The more he heard the more it amazed him. She was unlike any other MP he knew. “Is that her fighting style?” Despite her name being widely known, few actually knew what her Law set was actually. No one lasted long enough to discover it.

“Of course not! It’s just a test. Though no one I’ve seen has lasted more than twenty seconds against her, except one.”

“Who was that?”

“Sergeant Commander Nereus of the Titans and he’s only the 8th strongest of them.”

“What?! I thought the Titans were all really close in strength.”

“Most of them are, Commander Rheia is the exception. Even the 2nd strongest of the Titans doesn’t even compare to her.”

“Scary,” he remarked, despite his curiosity of her still growing.

His friend grabbed his shoulder tightly. “So just listen to my warning, don’t even think about approaching her. She’s out of your league, everyone here in Omega in fact. She won’t even think for a second about killing you if you consider challenging her.”

The young man nodded to his friend, understanding his worry. “Alright, I get what you’re saying.”

“Good, because I want you to live a good long life. We’ve got missions to do!”

Rheia’s brow lowered a little when they finally started moving again. It looked to be another fruitless day for her. However, she would remain waiting against hope.