The Fragmented City had changed. When the group entered this time, they were surrounded by thousands of people, simply standing around the gateway. Their eyes opened wider when they watched them close the tear, but none moved. Some murmured incoherently. Most just stared.

  “I think word got around…” Garder whispered.

  “What should we do?” Simon replied. “Think they’ll attack us?”

  “I dunno. I hope they don’t rush where the tear opens.”

  The atmosphere in the City had also changed greatly from last, and now there seemed to be some kind of hope or new fear in the air. Norria pushed her way through the crowds and stopped to gawk at the group.

  “I knew you were special. You can traverse dimensions,” she said.

  “Guess that’s out now, huh?” Verim replied.

  “Rumors mostly. But around here, a rumor is just a fact that hasn’t been disproven. Rivia is expecting you, of course. Oh, that must be Temki.”

  He was looking around at the strange world and its many inhabitants in silence, feeling too crowded to dare make a peep at the moment.

  “So… did you do it?”

  “Do what?” Garder asked.

  “Whatever it was Rivia wanted you to do. That’s why you came back, isn’t it? Sure didn’t take you long.”

  “That’s what we need to discuss with him…”

  “Then we’d better hurry. You know how time works here.”

  Staying close, they followed Norria through the streets. With a guide this time, the route to the center of the small City was more efficient, and they were standing in front of Rivia within minutes. Around him were the more alert people of the dimension. Judging by their expressions, they would not accept being sent away for a private conversation this time.

  “… Well?” Rivia spoke first with no hint of enthusiasm.

  “Well… we, ah…” Garder looked to the ground.

  “We failed, General…” Milla got it over with.

  Rivia looked up, tapped his fingers on his large chair, and sighed.

  “Not unexpected…” he said calmly.

  “Hm?”

  “We just ran out of time… that’s all. The Guard caught on and intervened before I could finish making this move. We’ll have to do things in a different order… that’s all.”

  “General, we’ve already got two pretorians after us. One came all the way out to I just to prevent the evacuation,” Garder explained. “You think it’s about time you give us some idea what our long-term goal is here?”

  Rivia hesitated before answering, knowing that a cross-dimensional wave was incoming. Everyone braced for it before they were sent briefly to Earth and then back again. With another not coming for almost an hour, a serious conversation could be held without further interruption.

  “Was… was that Earth?” Temki murmured quietly.

  “Rivia,” Milla said after a moment. “What is it you want us to do?”

  “If you’ve got another mission for us…” Shin continued, “Perhaps we should discuss it in private again.”

  “No… These people are with me,” he replied. “They may look like ordinary denizens of this place, but they are really much more. And hello again, Temki. I trust the Administration treated you better than the Guard.”

  “Um, hi… Rivia,” he replied. “W-what is this place?”

  “A world in which to banish people when they’re undesirable. It exists between Earth and Aurra in a weakened state.”

  “General, what makes these people special?” Shin asked.

  “They’re each very strong and talented warriors that the Guard disposed of. Three of them are paradigms, you see.”

  “Three paradigms? How long have they been here?”

  “Among this assortment—twenty in all—some have been here less than ten years, others, more than a thousand. All of the paradigms are more recent. They are my most valued assets, aside from you.”

  They looked at the people surrounding Rivia, all of them with such determined expressions. A few were children, a few were elderly, a few were around Simon’s age—a variety one would find at any City’s street corner.

  The paradigms were the most distinguishable. Light armor covered them, in colors of red, black, and silver; though no color existed in the dimension, their hues were clear enough by the shades of metal. Each held a unique sword at their side and covered their faces with a visor and helmet.

  “Viktor Wulf, our fire paradigm, who has been waiting patiently for two centuries now…” Rivia introduced him.

  He removed his helmet. He was an elderly figure with a short white beard and several facial scars. His eyes, however, were large and friendly.

  “Viktor has become a trusted new friend. He was banished when he tried to lead an uprising. One of the more successful, thought out ones.”

  “What’s your definition of a successful one?” Garder nearly scoffed.

  “We held City H for ten hours,” Viktor replied. “We only let go of it once more when reinforcements arrived.”

  “Considering it’s just about impossible to take down a Guardsman, that’s impressive…” Shin stated. “How’d you do it?”

  “By using panic and confusion in a well orchestrated plan of attack. I knew the risks, of course. I knew we wouldn’t have a long success. But it’s those that try and fight that are remembered in Aurra.”

  “As fools,” Garder added.

  “I understand your stance, Garder,” Viktor replied. “It is one of many. I don’t scorn complacency. It is all most of us can do.”

  “Next to him is Tabi Feretta…” Rivia continued. “A plant paradigm. She was sent here forty years ago for refusing to join the Guard after her discovery. And taking out the first squad that came after her.”

  She lowered her helmet on cue. She was tall, but young—around the twins’ age. She had short, red hair and a bold disposition similar to Shin’s.

  “Hello,” she greeted in a tame French accent. “Rivia has told us about your group, Milla. It seems that you’ve gone through plenty already and have become stronger because of it.”

  “I suppose,” she replied. “But compared to you…”

  “And lastly, our lightning paradigm.”

  Shin’s eyes widened as she gasped, “It can’t be…”

  The shortest paradigm in the black armor slowly removed his helmet and looked at Shin with a small smile. Like her, he was Southeast Asian in figure and seemed to have many of the same traits she possessed.

  “Masayuki Xin. I’m sure Shin can tell you about him,” Rivia finished.

  “Xin?” Jeryn replied. “He’s related to Shin?”

  “Hello…” Masayuki said to Shin. “It’s been a while.”

  “I—I can’t believe it… This is what happened to you?”

  “I’m sorry, Shinamayu. I never got to apologize to you about what happened to… to our family.”

  “I-it wasn’t your fault… The blame didn’t lie with us…”

  “Shin, who is this?” Milla asked.

  “Oh—I’m sorry,” Masayuki said. “I’m her older cousin. Or, I used to be older, anyway. It looks like Shinamayu has grown into a mature young lady. To be back together after so long…”

  “We’re about the same age now… technically,” Shin replied.

  “You’re cousins?” Garder continued. “How did you end up here?”

  “I… I’ll tell you later,” Shin said, keeping her eyes off her kin.

  “Shin, can’t you bear to look at me?” Masayuki said rather sadly.

  “It’s just… you haven’t aged a day since…”

  “Of course I haven’t. You don’t age here. Well, almost.”

  “So… you’re not going to tell us anything?” Garder groaned lightly.

  “Shin and I were in the same clan,” Masayuki replied. “My father was the leader. It was wiped out long ago.”

  “A clan?”

  “Yes—a lightning one, in City N. We were a small extended family. There are only three surviving members of it, if you can count me… But I don’t know how much Shin would want me to tell, so I’ll leave it at that.”

  Shin didn’t say anything. She was quiet and reclusive, very unlike her.

  “So that’s five paradigms accounted for,” Jeryn mentioned. “With Viktor and Escellé in these kinds of places, that’d explain why fire and watairre paradigms haven’t been found in quite some time.”

  “Could that Trinqit lady we saw be a paradigm?” Garder wondered.

  “She was powerful, but I don’t think so,” Milla replied.

  “The six pretorians only have one with them—an iron,” Rivia explained. “That leaves just the solar, vector, and earth unaccounted for. But never mind… I suppose it’s time for you to find out why you’re here. I do owe answers to you, certainly.”

  “Tell them everything,” Viktor urged the general. “They deserve the truth. Then they can decide if they’ll help us.”

  “Help you?” Garder replied. “Rivia, what is all this?”

  “Garder…” Rivia took a breath and folded his hands together, “do you ever question your existence in Aurra? The purpose of Hold? Why the circle works the way it does, and why Aurrian bodies of human and animal alike disappear into orange smoke?”

  “Not past an occasional thought…”

  “Our Cities weren’t always in bubbles. There wasn’t always a haze that destroyed organic life. But that age was so long ago. None remember it. Back when man’s mind first awoke, when we separated ourselves from the animals, a great awakening occurred. And some people took advantage of this awakening. Before we reached our final evolutionary stage, we had no inherent evil in us. When we became self aware, a split transpired. Darkness was born, even if it only lingered in the depths of one’s soul.”

  “So it’s been said. But what’s that got to with everything else?”

  “Are you aware of the Cardinal Five?”

  “The legend of them, of course,” Milla replied. “The five first humans to develop the manner of self conscious we still perceive now. It is said that they shaped early Aurra—they created its very system of life. How they did it isn’t known, but they were our earliest ancestors.”

  “As the legend goes. They are as old as all humanity—at least fifty-thousand years ancient. But there was one before them. One who created an epoch in our circle of life. Before the Five, there was the One. Where he or she is now, nobody can be certain. Some say the One might be living a normal life on Earth right now, and even in Aurra, he may have no memory of just who he was. The Five do not know where the One is, either. It is uncertain whether or not he still even exists as we define it.”

  “Wait a minute… The Five said that? Are you saying that you’ve spoken with them or something?”

  “Yes, Milla. They reside in this dimension. They came here long before this City joined them. They were there at the beginning. There isn’t much left of them, but they do live in a way… They were never reborn, their recollection never faded, and their bodies are tens of thousands of years old. Time, even in this place, has taken its toll on them. However, you can still speak with them, and I will allow you to do so before you leave.”

  “The Five…” Jeryn murmured. “And the One… Many theologians in Aurra think that he may be our God. And that he is intangible.”

  “Everything started with these six?” Simon wondered.

  “What about the Guard?” Verim asked. “How far back do they go?”

  “That is something that the Five will tell you. And as for the reason you are all here… Well, I feel that it is my destiny—the reasoning for my existence—to finally destroy the Guard and their antiquated laws.”

  “A dreamer, huh?” Garder replied with a long sigh. “All of this time, General—all of this time, and it turns out you’re just another rebel with some cause. I had respect for you back when you were one of the good Guard officers, one of the few with a conscience. Now, I’m not so sure…”

  “Does it seem hopeless, Garder? Is that why you’d say such a thing?”

  “Of course it seems hopeless—because it is. You can’t fight the Guard. They are eternal. They’ll always be around, in one form or another. It’s their job to govern us, and it’s our job to hate them for it. That’s just the way things are and there’s no changing it.”

  “But we have a chance now,” Tabi replied. “You should listen to Rivia’s plan. It’s unlike any other that has ever come along.”

  “That’s what every brave upstart says. And then they end up here after a fight that meant nothing.”

  “The reason previous uprisings have failed is a lack of foresight,” Rivia said. “Their creators were all too impatient. I, however, have been planning this throughout ten Aurrian lifetimes. Ten, Garder. Think of all the connections I’ve made, the places I’ve been. It is possible. And I know you will change your mind after what myself, and the Five, have to say.”

  “Then tell me. Convince me, if you can.”

  “The Guard is not eternal. They are human. They rule over nothing. They are only in power because we believe they are. They’ve had the same suppression engine running since soon after their rise to power. The crimes they have committed against us have always been there, hidden. And they have only grown worse. Did you remember what I said when I first sent you out? About people being sent back to Earth, because with C’s severed connection, Aurra wouldn’t be able to handle everyone coming into Hold?”

  “Yeah, I remember…”

  “That isn’t the truth. Earth and Aurra have always existed. Maybe it’s the same for every other planet in the universe that harbors life. Both realms have the same moon and planets. But what is different is the sun—for reasons I am not yet sure of. Is our star also a living thing? Does it represent the heart of humanity? We’re already made of the same material as stars. Maybe we live just as they do. Either way, Aurra and Earth will always exist. But because of physical differences, one can be very easily controlled. Aurra gives us our memories and a realization of a total reality. Earth gives us love, fear of mortality, and time to truly bond with others.

  “We live half our lives on Earth, and the other on Aurra. It doesn’t matter if we die as infants or old in our deathbeds—a life is a life. To deny a life to complete itself is impossible. The Guard also controls Hold, and uses it as a cruel sieve.” He raised his voice and spoke angrily, “Earthens aren’t turned away from Aurra—they’re being dumped like garbage. They haven’t been sending them back to Earth; they’ve been sending them here!”

  “W-what?” Milla replied softly.

  “They’ve been selective, so I’ve learned. It’s mostly newsouls, maybe up to half of them now. It may be completely random as far as how they are chosen, but newsouls are the easiest target—they’ve never been to Hold before, and are unaware of the procedures. What does Hold’s staff do, before they’re even judged? They guide them through a special tunnel, and they come directly from Hold and into this place on a one-way trip. This offsets the loss of C just enough to keep us from oversaturation.”

  “I… I don’t believe it… That’s even worse. What a horrible thing to do. People will think they’re being punished. Even if they led a good life…”

  “I know. So far, there are about one hundred thousand people here. The Guard doesn’t know how big this place is. It won’t be long before this City can’t take anymore—we’ve already got people covering nearly every square meter. It won’t be long before that number is down to inches.”

  “The Guard is really doing that, huh…” Garder sighed. “Look, I’m not a freedom fighter… I never intended to go to war with what’s basically our empire for your ideals, Rivia. But I suppose the rest of my group is now going along with this, and I’d be a total jackass not to join them.”

  “I could end up here?” Simon figured. “You mean, no matter how much I do in my life—there’s a good chance they’ll toss me in this place?”

  “And they could easily start doing it to others,” Rivia said. “Imagine. Someone is judged, and then they’re brought here because the City they were supposed to go to is out of room. Instead of expanding and building new places in Aurra, the Guard can get rid of those who ‘don’t matter.’”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “That’s sickening…” Shin muttered.

  “Yes, it is,” Masayuki replied. “Which is why we want to start this movement right away. Even if we three are late to join, it needs to begin.”

  “What do we do now?” Garder questioned.

  “Are you set to do whatever it takes? There is truly no going back now. You are all aware of the punishment this carries. Even if we bring these people out of this dimension, they’ll figure out another way to banish us. This is no mere uprising. It will be long and brutal, and may never end. The only way we may win is if the Guard tires of fighting.”

  “I want to help,” Lechi said. “But I’m not that strong. M-maybe you can boost me up a level in alchemagi. You said you can do that.”

  “Yes, I did. But we do not have the time just yet. This must begin immediately, so that the right people—those I’ve come to trust and value, are at least sowing the first seeds. And I have a special job for you, Lechi.”

  “Wait—how many people are we talking about?” Garder wondered.

  “I can’t be sure. Ever since I came to a decision to start some grand revolution, I’ve spent lifetimes meeting as many people as I could. I’d get to know them, then part with some final words. ‘When the time comes, rise. It may not be this life, but it will come eventually. And when it comes, fight. Say nothing about this until that moment comes. But when it does… try.’

  “That is what I’ve told thousands. How many of them listened, how many of them spread the word, how many will actually act… I wish I knew. It may be that our army is in the millions, with people in every City, waiting for so long to stand up against the Guard. These will be the first—they will be made example of. And others will join them when they see that we stand a chance. When something very important has changed.

  “I have used many lifetimes to orchestrate all of this, with a torturous patience, and when the moment came that I needed a final confirmation of all things, I got myself sent here.”

  Garder breathed. “Don’t tell me that this is only going to be a bunch of common, everyday people off the street executing this master plan…”

  “No, of course not. We need leaders and some organized armies. The people surrounding me are the strongest willed of all, and with three paradigms, they will become mighty, guiding officers. These brave few, who have stood up before, are the Angels. Fighters for a true heaven.”

  “True heaven?” Milla wondered.

  “Garder, you seek to end judgment, do you not?”

  “Yes, definitely. I believe the masses should determine a person’s standing in Aurra, not the few in Hold.”

  “Then we share at least one belief. And I don’t know if this is possible, but I also seek to bring Aurra back to its previous state—with no haze, and no contained Cities. The Five will tell you how things used to be. But, even if that were not possible, I will try my best to make every City equal in beauty instead of relying on the ranking system we have now. The human spirit cannot be placed on a scale of morality. Not when redemption always exists. This is what I seek to abolish above all.”

  “So, we’ve got the Angels and with any luck, millions of people…” Verim said. “Who else is there?”

  “Right now, an early and crucial event is about to happen. I have just been informed by a recent newcomer here—a rebel from City C, that the Guard seeks to attack the City and take it over completely.”

  “Why would they want to do that?” Milla asked.

  “Simply to kill the demon there and acquire its claws. Imagine what they could do with twelve pairs, each able to tear through the dimensions. They’d gain such power that countering them would be near impossible.”

  “This doesn’t make a lot of sense either way,” Garder replied. “The Guard is going to lose a lot of its forces simply trying to get to C, and it’s not like they can be fought against—”

  “I’ll see to it that the battle takes place on Earth,” Rivia explained.

  “On… Earth?”

  “Yes, in the Sahara. I can only assume that the Guard already has at least one pair of the claws themselves.”

  “Um… yes, they do…” Milla replied. “Sorry we didn’t mention it before, General. We had two pairs—they stole one of them.”

  “It matters not, Milla. Perhaps it is even a blessing. They will seek the easier road to travel now by going through the desert, and we will actually have the ability to fight them as providence doesn’t exist on Earth.”

  “It will be a full-scale battle, right?” Shin said.

  “Likely. We can’t be sure how the Guard will move men into the desert, but with only one pair of claws, it would be a slow buildup. They will need to send them to Earth from the closest, safest area in the Aurrian southern wastes, then march through the Saharan and towards C’s portal.”

  “On that mesa?” Garder replied. “Why there?”

  “Unlike shifting dunes, it’s guaranteed to be a spot they can come back into from the other side. And once they get even one man through, they can permanently reactivate C’s portal to speed up their invasion.”

  Remembering the mesa, Garder added, “Also… they’d secure some high ground. They can use the claws without any fear of counter attack.”

  “You’re right…” Milla replied. “All it would take is one Guardsman getting into the City to take command of it. The battle would be lost.”

  “True, and that is why it will be fought on two fronts.”

  “What do you mean?” Shin asked.

  “We are going to try something very… dangerous. It’s about that important change I mentioned. You’ve seen the Administration facilities, haven’t you? You got Temki out of one, and you saw what was left of I’s.”

  “Yes,” Garder replied. “They’ve got the nasty rairer things in them.”

  “The facility under A is massive. At the bottom—I’ve been there a few times throughout my lives—is the control center for the suppression engine. It’s a large catacomb of data blocks, inscribed with thousands of laws and smaller laws to cover them. It takes eight of these blocks to make the Guard nearly invincible. If we can change or remove just some of them, we’d be able to attack the Guard in full—yet not each other. They’d still be able to fight us, but we could actually fight back. And if non-Guardsmen don’t have the ability to attack each other, we’d be at a great advantage.

  “Look at it this way: the only way to bring down the rebels would be to join the Guard or take a direct order from one of its officers. The only way they’d be able to fight us is by raising their numbers—and those new recruits all become vulnerable. People will think twice who they want targeting them, and will hopefully choose the right side to fight on.”

  “So… you need to get some of us down into the facility below A and mess with the suppression controls?” Shin replied.

  “Exactly. And those controls only. It is too risky to change anything else at the moment. When that task is completed, the chamber should be sealed in a way to make it inaccessible, so that this cannot be reversed. We could find a way in the future to enter it with the claws from Earth.”

  “The facility below A would be extremely secure, wouldn’t it? Who is going to go through with this?”

  “I would like Temki, Simon, and Lechi to go.”

  “What?” Simon and Lechi exclaimed at the same time.

  “Of everyone… them?” Garder added.

  “Simon possesses cloaking abilities, even as a level one. Temki can disguise brain waves and control people without harming them. Lechi can even speak to the rairer. The three also make smaller targets—they don’t look like soldiers, and I doubt the Guard is expecting any such assault.”

  “I… am also a pretty good techie,” Simon added. “Your electronic systems vary from Earth’s, but I’m sure I could figure it out pretty quickly.”

  “I-I’ll do it,” Temki said. “I can see your reasoning for selecting me.”

  “Can I really speak to the rairer?” Lechi asked.

  “Animalects are a threat to the Administration because you can,” Tabi replied. “Despite their appearance, they are creatures without a drive to kill for no reason. They were designed to only follow orders. You could talk with one better and more closely than their masters could, maybe even get it to help you. Rivia’s thinking in this is pretty sharp.”

  “In part because he’s been planning this for so long,” Viktor added.

  “I’ll tell you more when you return,” Rivia said. “There is still much to say, but my men in the desert need you now. Disregard City I for the moment and come to their aid. This assignment cannot fail. Defend C, and then kill the demon yourself so that its claws can aid us instead of the Guard. How you will do this, I have to leave up to you. But you’re all inventive and courageous. I’ve no doubt that you can destroy the creature.”

  “Pretty tall orders,” Garder said. “But we’ll give it a try. Who are we helping, anyway?”

  “An old friend, leading the defense in the Sahara. An earth adept by the name of Osk. He has a small battalion of alchemagists and knights.”

  “How’d they get out there, anyway?” Milla asked.

  “We’ve been using the portal in Australia and slowly bringing them in from there. Thanks goes to Verim for setting that up for us.”

  “Verim?” Garder turned to him.

  He widened his smile and explained, “I helped some of Rivia’s friends at the portal reconfigure it. It doesn’t allow Guardsmen in anymore—so they probably think it’s broken.”

  “Indeed,” Rivia replied. “While the Guard bumbles about trying repeatedly to repair it, my men have used it to garner up a force. Like you started out, they each get around via Earth’s airplanes. By now, they should be around and in the Sahara, ready to defend C from the other side.”

  “So… protect the entrance to C until the kids and Simon do their thing and let us to attack the Guard in Aurra, and then kill the demon,” Garder summarized. “Anything else?”

  “All of Osk’s men have been assured about Hold’s kingdom. His word is strong, so his men should be able to fight without fear. But the majority of the attacking Guardsmen probably haven’t been there, and trust doesn’t run as highly among them. They will likely fight with some trepidation. Use it to your advantage.

  “I’ve already told Escellé that this day will come eventually. They’re prepared to hold the casualties and send those on our side back to Aurra. This is a fight that actually carries a lowered risk for us—we won’t truly lose anybody, but it is still important nonetheless. But Lechi, Temki, please be careful. Simon, you must protect the two of them, understand?”

  “Of course,” he replied.

  “One more thing… The pretorians—avoid them at all costs. They are simply too strong for you. And if you must fight them, be sure that it’s on Earth, where you’re essentially living a safety life.”

  A transdimensional arc hit the City, bringing about another passing day on Aurra.

  “Get a move on,” Rivia said. “Your meeting today with the Five will be brief, but you will come to understand some great things. Milla, use the demirriage to sneak in the A group, and then rejoin everyone else in the Sahara. I wish you all luck, and expect your return… I leave it up to you.”

  “Shin…” Masayuki spoke up. “I know we have a lot to discuss, but it will have to wait. Please—forget about me for the moment and protect your new friends. We’ll see each other again.”

  “T-thank you…” she replied. “I will gladly wait. It is enough for me to see you alive.”

  “Norria, please show them to the Five for me. I will send Xavier to meet you back at the opening—he’ll join you in the fight.”

  “Understood, Rivia,” Milla said. “We’ll all do our best. This is still the same mission you assigned us as far as I’m concerned. And I dislike failure, so… Well, I’ll just give it everything I’ve got. See you soon, okay?”

  “Yes, Milla… Perhaps when the uprising begins, you can free us. But for now, focus on the first, important strike. Farewell for now.”

  “The Five are this way.” Norria took Milla’s hand. “You should really take in what they do tell you.”

  Silently, they followed Norria through the City and to its tallest tower, the building that used to be J’s governmental office. With no power for the ancient elevators, the group was forced to take the stairs upwards. Luckily, it was a mere three floors to the place where the Five waited. Norria opened the door in the stairwell and remained outside the chamber.

  The floor was empty; unlike the rest of the building, where people were scattered about and occupied most of the space. In the center of the barren room were five chairs surrounding a small glass table with a statuette of a thinking figure atop it. Small, hooded people occupied the chairs and looked exactly the same as the one beside them.

  “Please, come forward,” one said without moving a muscle.

  They did as they were told, stopping near the table in the center. The Five each appeared to be quite frail, and the robes they wore completely covered their bodies. It couldn’t even be known what their genders were.

  “You’re the Five?” Milla said to the living ghosts.

  “Yes… We see each other as one, however. We have known each other for so long, we are all virtually identical…”

  Their voices were weak, barely coherent, almost like a soft wind. The group had to remain completely still without a sound in order to hear them.

  “We are the shape of man at its most minimal stage…”

  “Yes… We are humans who barely exist at all. Our Earth lives seem so distant, we sometimes mistake them for dreams…”

  “Now, we sound, move, think alike. We are attuned to one another.”

  “Our bodies do not represent us. Seeing what we look like under these garbs would mean nothing.”

  “We remain as we are, unmoving, yet willing to pass knowledge.”

  “Rivia told us that you were little on time, so we will make this as clearly stated as possible… Please listen to us.”

  “Long ago, humans were put in front of a forked road…”

  “There were two paths we could travel. Neither was good or evil. They were simply different.”

  “We were the first to awaken. There were humans before us, but perhaps they did not separate enough from the animals…”

  “They made tools, but so do other beasts. We were more intelligent than most, but that was not enough.”

  “They lived, died, and were reborn as all animals are today.”

  “But eventually, we did awaken into something else…”

  “We shared Aurra with the One. There were six of us—but the One had arrived, or came to realize perhaps only minutes before us.”

  “We may have been a hunting group, or explorers who suffered an accident, but none of us can remember for sure.”

  “Hold existed, but was merely a place to pass through… if you were about to ask, which most do by this point… It was not a place of gathering and judgment that we hear about now.”

  “For a few moments, we lived in peace with the One.”

  “But he would be the cause of our turmoil.”

  “With self realization, the One understood he could control Aurra.”

  “We all could—we just didn’t know it yet.”

  “But he was first. He saw what he could do, and did so.”

  “Instantly, he knew of the power he could wield.”

  “He burned down forests, dried up rivers, and destroyed mountains just to test himself. Aurra could be bent by the mind alone.”

  “We then realized the power we had, as well. Total freedom, creation and destruction. Death was paradise. Aurra was ours to shape.”

  “But he denied us our powers. Before we changed a single element, he had the power to deny, and seal away that of ours.”

  “We could not do anything… We could only watch and abide by his will. For a while, we were complacent. But we were witnesses.”

  “And before long, more enlightened people began arriving in Aurra. But the One blocked their powers, as well, and then made it a law that from then on was infallible. He was all-powerful. He was a human god.”

  “But we were witnesses. We knew the truth.”

  “He made this place. He made this dimension.”

  “His influences outside of Aurra were weak, so he could not create a complete world as Aurra and Earth are.”

  “He might’ve made more worlds, but this is the one we were sent to. Imprisoned. His only threat was then locked away.”

  “And he seized total power. We do not know how long he was a visible god to people. Recollection has faded for those so ancient. It seems that his existence has been forgotten by all except us.”

  “For a long time, we were here, alone.”

  “But then, this City. After thousands and thousands of years, we had friends and an outside knowledge of all that had transpired in both worlds.”

  “None knew of the One. He had faded away.”

  “Where is the One now? We don’t know.”

  “The One was not evil; he merely represented humanity and self-realization, of which many things can come.”

  “Did he make the tormenting haze? We cannot be sure. It may be an invention of the Guard or Administration to keep people under control.”

  “But the One is responsible for Aurra’s most basic laws.”

  “We merely touch upon his power through suns and synthesizers.”

  “Is the One cruel? Is he like a playful child? A wise old magician?”

  “We cannot say for certain. But the One existed.”

  “And that’s all that needs to be known.”

  “And because the haze isn’t one of this false god’s works…”

  “It can be vanquished.”

  “Judgment can end.”

  “And that is what Rivia desires you to fight for…”

  “And that is the end of our tale for now.”

  “We have more to share, but Rivia has limited our time.”

  “Without a single moment to waste with further questions…”

  “Please fulfill Rivia’s wish…”

  “Yes, farewell…”

  The group looked at one another, unsure of what to think. Everything they had just been told had gone over their heads, but remained afloat there to ponder about later. They had no reason to doubt anything they had just learned, but hearing the origins of Aurra, a place that seemed eternal and without age, was a strange thing indeed.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop hearing their words in my mind,” Milla said on the way back to the portal. “Honestly, that was the most haunting thing I’ve ever been told…”

  “Same here,” Shin added. “We should try and finish this battle quickly. I want to hear more. It gives me some kind of assurance about life just listening to them.”

  “What they said was… intriguing,” Jeryn replied. “But we should focus on what’s next. There’s never been a fight this large against the Guard, so we should keep only that on our minds.”

  “It upped my resolve,” Garder said. “Do you get it? The haze isn’t natural at all. There was a time when Aurra was a paradise, or at least like Earth. They mentioned the One burning down entire forests.”

  “But there’s one question that remains, then…” Milla continued. “I wonder when we had to start being reborn here? The original people of Aurra, enlightened or not, couldn’t have been born from anybody. That was likely another thing set up by the Guard or Administration later on. People appeared full-bodied here once, like animals do.”

  “I wanted to hear more,” Simon replied. “I took a couple philosophy courses in college, but none of them brought up these kinds of ideas.”

  “Anyway…” Verim spoke up, “we’ll be back in the Sahara pretty soon. I’ll definitely help you guys out there.”

  “Yeah, we’ve got a lot of planning to do,” Milla said. “Rivia left most of that up to us, didn’t he?”

  They stopped at the City gate. People were still gathered tightly, surrounding the space where the tear was set to appear. They all wanted to witness people freely leave and enter the realm once more, even if they weren’t ready to do it themselves yet. Xavier was slumped against one of the pillars and seemed to be dozing off already.

  “Guess we should get going,” Milla said and reached for her claws.

  “Please, wait a moment. We have something to tell you.”

  Milla swung around to find a tall man and a shorter woman next to him, each with pale skin and solid black hair. They were dressed in dark alchemagist-style robes and goggles.

  “Who are you?” Garder asked.

  “Coincidentally, twins,” replied the woman. “And unlike you two, we look very little alike, don’t we? But that’s beside the point. We need to speak with at least one of you about something.”

  The man seemed to be staring intently at Jeryn, who was looking back at him. How intently the stares were couldn’t be seen, as both had their dark goggles over their eyes.

  “Hm…” the man murmured. “Interesting.”

  Garder exclaimed, “Sorry, we’re in a bit of a hurry here—”

  “I know,” the woman said, her voice more stoic than Milla’s ever was. “We just need to tell one of you something. The one in charge, perhaps. We saw you last time you were here, and now we’ve realized who you are—the ones Rivia talked about. This is important. Whether or not Rivia wants us to share this, it doesn’t matter. It’s professional courtesy.”

  “Pro… fessional courtesy?” Garder questioned.

  “Okay…” Milla sighed. “Tell the two of us, then. Everyone—could you wait by the portal, please? I promise, this will take only a second…”

  “It will,” the mysterious woman assured them.

  They gave a few shrugs and headed off, Jeryn staying a moment longer to observe the two, as if he knew them somehow.

  “So… what’s up?” Garder asked.

  “Myself and my older brother here are erasers. We were caught and sent here just recently. That’s what they do with erasers—put them here, so we can’t be reborn with the knowledge of our art.”

  “Oh… you must be the famous eraser twins. Vadaka and Bired,” Milla replied. “Or I should say infamous, considering your work’s illegality.”

  “Of course. If you erase memories forever, it’s like saying that your previous lives never existed. That, and the process typically must kill the patient to work correctly. Invasive neural surgery becomes… very messy.”

  “Look, we don’t care about the procedure,” Garder replied. “Just knowing that kind of stuff is enough to warrant you a permanent sentence at Z. Though… for us, I suppose that’s beside the point now.”

  Bired nodded and looked at Vadaka, giving her a small gesture.

  “He doesn’t say much,” she said. “But I know when he wants me to hurry something up. Here it is: your friend Jeryn was one of our patients.”

  “You tampered with his memory?” Milla replied.

  “Yes, but we used a different technique on him.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “We are very advanced in our craft. Some say we’re the best. What we did with Jeryn was erase his memories and identity for this life alone.”

  “His recollection is excellent, so he knows all of his lives quite well. We had to make up an Aurrian life for him,” Bired added.

  “Yes—we injected a false set of memories. Just enough for him to fill in the blanks and make up a life that never existed.”

  “You erased his identity, too?” Garder murmured. “So that’s why he told us his origins in Aurra are unknown…”

  “I suppose,” Vadaka replied and adjusted her goggles. “Don’t worry about us. We can refine our craft here. Plenty of people that have things to forget. But we’d appreciate returning to Aurra, certainly—so please hurry.”

  “Right. So you can get back to patients who pay.”

  “Indeed. Plenty who have bad lifetimes to eradicate there. We merely think that should be a service provided by the Guard—not outlawed.”

  “So Jeryn lived another life. Do you know what that was?”

  “No. We don’t. But I need you to warn about something. Is Jeryn a good friend to you right now?”

  “Well, sure,” Garder replied. “I mean, he’s wise, and quite strong.”

  “I suggest you protect his current character. There are things buried in the subconscious that not even we can get rid of. This is all physical—like imprints on the brain. They disappear with a new life completely, but they are still there with Jeryn. If a powerful mind adept knew who he was, they could unlock his old memories. We don’t know who he was before, but it may not be in your favor to find out…”

  “I see. We’ll be careful, I guess,” Milla said. “I don’t really know if I should thank you or not for this information, though.”

  “Yeah, we were starting to get used to this Jeryn,” Garder added.

  “We thought it wise that someone close to him should at least be told,” Vadaka said. “That way, if anything does happen, you’ll know why.”

  “If that is all, we really must be going…”

  “Indeed. Bired, we have an appointment to keep.”

  He nodded and left with his sister.

  “I didn’t like the sound of that,” Garder said.

  “I wonder, though… Did someone force Jeryn to have his memories altered, or did he do it himself?”

  “If the Guard had it done, they would’ve promised those two to let them go, but then send them here anyway. It didn’t sound like that to me.”

  “Then what is Jeryn trying to hide from himself?”

  “No idea… But I think Shin knows something about him.”

  “We need to ask her. I’m a little worried. On the base of it, I don’t want Jeryn to suffer if the memories he no longer wanted come back.”

  “Hey!” Xavier called out. “Are we doing this? Come on, you two!”

  The twins looked at their group, Jeryn behind them all as the tallest and most noticeable. He had become, through everything, their good friend. But the question now existed if he would remain that way if something should happen to awaken a past he had cast aside.