Paramythi I: City of Glass

“The mission could hardly be called a success.” Enzo’s voice was heavy and rough when he stepped on through the hallway of the Rebellion base behind Kane. His shoulders were hunched and his face was deprived of colour with no smile to light up his features as it usually would. “Our interference caused the loss of a young woman, part of the village’s centre, and most of their resources.”

“Were you able to gain any entail, at all?” Kane asked.

Enzo lifted his head to inspect the back of his captain’s head. He wondered just what kind of face Kane was making behind such an unreadable tone of voice and he wanted nothing more than their conversation to be filled with angry cries and loud shouts of fury to echo and bounce off the walls. It was no secret that this was all to do with the Capitol’s misleading deeds and schemes.

Ciiria herself had informed the small group on their return to base for her own faults in letting them go to Eirini without a second opinion. No-one blamed her, though. It was not her judgement which led them to discover a crazed pack of Shema and the mastermind of some mysterious figure with a bomb.

“Not yet.” Enzo managed to speak through his boiling frustration and lowered his eyes back to the ground. “Tovi and I are going to be transporting some of the villagers here for questioning later. The fact that no-one was present during the night or early hours of the morning to investigate the noises outside was suspicious enough. It’s likely that they had a foresight to the whole thing.”

“I’ll leave it to you,” Kane said. He took a right and stepped out into the centre of a larger corridor with glass panels covering the floor, walls and ceiling; thus displaying the design of the base’s side and the grounds below. “No-one’s blaming you for today, Enzo.”

“Yes, sir.” Replied Enzo with a lower tone of expression than Kane might have expected. “…about the recruits, sir?”

“What about them?”

“They surely need time to grieve and recover before being transported to another mission. Should I grant them leave for now?”

“What would you want, if you were in their shoes? Would you wish to be given leave or would that shame your pride?”

Enzo resisted the urge to cringe and swallowed down the forming lump in his throat to combat his opposing mind. He wanted to think clearly for the sake of his young companions. “It doesn’t matter what I would want. I am merely asking a question from my captain. I want a straight answer, that’s all.”

Kane slowed down in his steps and finally turned to face Enzo. “Then I suppose I shall leave the decision to you. If you think they should be given leave, then please do so. If not… come find me after this afternoon’s meeting. I’ll have a mission ready for them in waiting.”

When Kane turned to walk along the rest of the transparent corridor, Enzo did not follow. He did not follow due to his unlevelled thought of emotions and how he disapproved of the way Kane’s face had been far too calm and at ease.

Perhaps, Enzo thought, Kane was simply a mastermind at such expression due to his position as the Rebellion’s captain. If that were the case, then Enzo could happily say he had no desires to be a leader. What was the point in leading if you had no emotions for those you lost? But then, Enzo would remind himself just how foolish such a thought was. For Kane did have feelings; probably more so than Enzo himself.

Elias had drawn back to his room after Neoma had checked him over upon the group’s return to the base. He had not been injured like Helios and Riyo, but was given the usual order of bedrest and plenty of water to make up for his nervous breakdown and the experience which had brought it on. He was unable to rest when he lay in bed, though.

His blue eyes were wide and seemed to never shut. He was tired yet he could not force himself to sleep in fear of seeing Eris smiling and crying at him. He did not wish to remind himself of her departure with sorrowful means and was unable to do anything but tear up at the thought of his former partner’s sweet voice and bright expectations.

Now she was gone and Elias was afraid he would be next.

When sleep did come to greet him, it had been quick. He had not even felt his eyelids grow heavy and slip over his vision until it was too late and he quickly fell into a slumber where his dreams were empty and full of nothingness. It had been easier, that way. It made waking up manageable and Elias kicked back the covers to his warm bed and hurried to dress himself the moment his eyes were open.

He was unable to name his own urge to rush around and prepare himself for the day. Helios and Riyo would be unable to contribute to whatever Quincy or Zyki might want from them, and Elias never had a clue where Psykhe retired to in the evenings or her spare time.

Once he was dressed, Elias closed the space between himself and the door to his room. His bed was messily made and a handful of clothes were effortlessly folded upon a small armchair by the large window which emanated numerous streaks of light to wash along the floorboards and inform him that the hour was indeed dawn.

Turning the handle, Elias strode out into the hallway, unable to further elaborate on his haste and he brushed the senseless thoughts aside along with the thud of his door closing up behind him. He stood there for a moment, eyes wide.

What alerted him from his temporary moment of withdrawal had been the sounds of footsteps and the creak of wood. Raising his head, Elias had caught the familiar outlines of a young girl with dark hair and was quickly moving to catch up with her when she turned a corner.

“Kaira!” Elias called.

If Kaira had heard the small cry of her name, she ignored it and hurriedly closed herself up in her own room. Elias had known she lived somewhere along the corridor linked to his own room and had been meaning to look into her whereabouts once he had graduated and settled to the point he could allow himself to drop his walls and get closer to the people within the Rebellion airbase; alas, it did not seem Kaira was as enthusiastic with the idea of meeting new people.

“Kaira,” Elias sighed and came to a slide in his abrupt stop along the floor. There was a shuffle behind the door, indicating the girl inside was lingering close enough and Elias was confident to speak without feeling like he was speaking to the open air. “Kaira, I hope you’re okay. I haven’t seen you much since the, ugh…funeral.”

The handle to Kaira’s door rattled slightly, surprising Elias enough to make him step back as the girl pulled the door open ajar and peeked out. She looked so much different compared to the day they first met. Her hair was tugged back into a messy ponytail and her eyes seemed sunken and dark.

She looked pale and her voice was raspy when she spoke. “…I heard you lost your partner.”

Elias wavered and forced himself to focus on the ground, resisting the invisible urge that coaxed him down and took a long breath inward. “I did.” Hoping he did not sound as empty as he felt, he pulled back his lips and tried his hardest to smile.

Kaira saw right through him. “You blame yourself.” She pulled the door back only an inch or so and tilted her head, no expression to offer. “How long were you partners for?”

A dry sort of laugh fell past Elias’ lips as if this whole scene was some kind of cruel joke. “Not even a day.” He said and shoved his balled fists into his pockets, eyes drifting to the floor.

Kaira pursed her lips and followed his gaze down, “…that sucks.” She whispered. Whether or not she truly meant her words, or was simply offering a sentence to drown out the silence, was up for Elias to decide.

“It really does,” Elias muttered distantly. “I dunno why, but whenever I thought about joining the Rebellion as a kid, the idea of losing someone never really came to me. I was too focused on saving everyone else.”

Kaira lifted her head and quirked a brow. “I don’t know why you’re telling me this.” She said bluntly.

“I don’t know why, either.” Elias nodded, agreeing with Kaira’s bluntness and forced himself to pull away from his childish expectations. “…sorry for the bother. I’ll see you around, Kaira.”

If Kaira had been willing to spend an extra two or three minutes chatting, Elias had moved too quickly from her door to experience it. She did not call out for him as he trailed down the corridor, thus hinting to the possibilities that she did not want anything further to do with him altogether.

A focus was drawn away from Kaira sooner than later as Elias followed his gut feeling and aimlessly trailed down the corridor and out towards the east hanger bay, which neighboured the infirmary’s ward, and crossed the noisy floor to duck through a sliding door and into the clean environment of septic wipes and medical supplies.

Taken aback, Elias was confronted with the sight of Quincy and Zyki sitting in front of two beds. Riyo was propped up in the bed closer to the wall and an unconscious Helios was laying in the bed beside them. The atmosphere within the air was not pleasant and Elias warned himself not to tread any further until he was sure the coast was at least clear enough to step inside and greet his fellow companions and see how they were doing.

It was an innocent thought of kindness, of course. Though it seemed Elias could not have walked in at a worse time than this.

“It seems as though we may have made a miscalculation when putting the two of you together.” Quincy began. He was hunched over on the small stool at the foot of Riyo’s bed and held a piece of paper with unidentified scribbles etched onto it. He avoided the young recruit’s eyes as he spoke. “Putting the two of you together during your first mission caused both of you to take serious injuries and rendered one of you unconscious.”

Zyki swung their legs against Quincy’s stool and offered Riyo a small shrug, smiling as if the matter was of no real importance. “The both of you will still be here, of course. We just need to separate you from your previous teammate and assign you to someone else. The departure of Kara’s partner has left an opening and the Trezla girl will also be sharing her time with one of you once you’re all better and walking around!” Clapping their hands together with a low hum, Zyki tilted their head. “Shouldn’t be too much trouble, right?”

“Right,” Riyo said, lips barely parting. Their skin looked horribly pale against their usual honey-tanned exterior and their lips were almost purple. Their injured shoulder was visible with the way the infirmary-gown hung off of their body, displaying the eerie black veined marks and the ugly swelling beneath their bandaged shoulder from where they had been hit with such a mysterious force of powerful magick from their enemy in Eirini. “No trouble.”

“Excellent~!” Zyki exclaimed. They twirled on their heel and skipped towards the doorway. Towards Elias. “Quincy and I will be sure to inform you of your new position soon enough. In the meantime, perhaps you should be resting up? We wouldn’t want you falling down now, would we?”

Elias tensed up when Zyki approached. They shared eye contact for a matter of seconds as Zyki brushed by in such an unnecessarily eerie fashion. Their shoulder brushed against Elias’, for they were not much taller than he, and Elias felt shivers run down his spine and hold his legs in place until he was certain Zyki had drifted far enough to not be a threat of any sort; not that Zyki had proved themselves to be anything close to a threat, but certainly had the potential to.

With a small sigh, Elias turned his head and peeked back into the infirmary where Quincy was smiling sadly at the two bedridden recruits. He said something along the lines of keeping safe and resting easy before he began his own departure and walked towards Elias. Unlike Zyki, Quincy had a much straighter posture and did not make Elias freeze or wish he could crawl into a hole.

Sadly, Elias could not recall just when he had started feeling scared all over again. Before their first mission, during their first mission, or right after…?

“Ah, Kara. I hope you slept well,” said Quincy, tone easy as ever. He smiled and bent his arm to secure the paper he held against his side. “If you’re going to see your friends, I wouldn’t be too long. They need their rest after all they’ve been through.”

“Is it true I’ll be partners with either Helios or Riyo?” Elias blurted, perhaps a little too quickly.

Quincy’s eyes widened upon such a hurried question and did his best to keep his smile from washing away. Clearing his throat, he said, “yes. This sort of thing often happens at times, especially with new recruits and teams. Building that specific bond between partners is not an easy thing, and although Zyki and I are in charge of coordinating you all, we aren’t experts at mind-reading.” He laughed softly, a distant sort of sound, and shook his head. “You’ll have to speak with our friend Twyla about mind-reading.”

“Twyla?” Elias frowned. He had met many of the Rebellion’s people, including Ciiria’s partner, Reidonn, and a number of the mechanics who worked the rigs and kept the base adrift in the air. He was convinced he knew of practically every member in the Rebellion by now; the ones that mattered, at least.

“Oh, never mind me,” Quincy’s face fell apart, giving way to an expression of worry rather than pleasant serenity. “Just go on ahead and see Riyo. Helios is still asleep. You needn't worry about either of them, they're tougher than they look.” The upbeat rhythm to his tone was utterly false and he clapped his hand against Elias’ back, urging the boy on inside the infirmary.

Elias caught his footing quickly, eager to lessen the risk of his face hitting the floor with a horrible splatter and reached out to hold his weight against the wall to his left. When he turned his head to meet his superior, Quincy had already retired out of the room, leaving Elias with a handful of questions just waiting to be answered.

“Kara?” Riyo’s piercing eyes flickered towards the sounds coming from the door and they winced, the pain from turning their head sending pangs of vibration down to their shoulder. “How’re you holding up?”

Elias stepped forth and stopped at the foot of Riyo’s bed. “Fine,” suffice to say, he was rather surprised at Riyo’s concern and hoped he did not sound as pleased as he felt to know his worry was a mutual feeling. “And you?”

Up close, Riyo looked even worse. Their red locks of hair were loose around the frame of their face and whenever they shifted, a new strand would fall over their pale forehead. “Fine. Better than him.” They raised a finger and flexed it towards Helios’ bed, keeping their eyes focused in one direction to ease the tension on their shoulder. “He hasn’t woken up yet.”

Following Riyo’s finger, Elias looked towards Helios and tried his best not to think about the amount of blood he had seen upon finding him on the porch in Eirini. “Quincy said he would be fine, so we shouldn’t worry.” He murmured, speaking more to himself for reassurance.

“Quincy also said Helios and I would make a good team,” Riyo scoffed. “Look where it got us.”

Elias felt the need to defend Quincy, to stand up for all their superior had done for them and what he had taught them over the past year. It was an abrupt passion which fuelled Elias’ veins and caused him to pivot on his heel and send a hard stare towards Riyo. He did not dare to open his mouth, though. Riyo’s eyes were chilling to the bone, their glare almost ten times worse than Psykhe’s.

Elias swallowed the irritable lump in his throat, along with his words of defence.

Riyo noticed Elias’ withdrawal and cocked a weak smirk. “You should stand up for what you believe in, you know.” They said. It was clear by now that whatever painkiller and medication they had taken earlier was working. They began sliding down their smooth, puffy pillows and whimpered when they shuffled down the bed, lifting their shoulder. “You scare too easily.”

Elias inhaled deeply and took a step away from the bed. He watched Riyo’s eyes fall shut, inwardly thankful they were able to rest even after everything. He did not want to feel anger towards any of his companions, especially now that one of them could become his new partner for life. Selfish as it may be, he hoped Helios would gain consciousness soon. Elias, although being the kind-hearted boy he was, could not handle Riyo’s spite and Psykhe’s intense eyes without Helios to calm the waters.

“You better get up soon.” Muttering under his breath, Elias walked past Helios’ bed, offered one last look around the room, and stepped out into the hallway.

Not a second after, Psykhe appeared. She looked high-strung and ready for battle with wide eyes and a raised chin. She would have missed Elias altogether if the boy had not called out to stop her furious rampage down the corridor. When she raised her head and regained herself, she motioned for Elias to join her side and revealed the small knife she was gripping in the palm of her hand.

“What’s that for?” Elias blurted, earning him a clamp over the mouth from Psykhe’s spare hand. The smell of leather rose up from her glove, along with her perfume and the essence of maple syrup.

“Quiet.” Psykhe warned in a low voice and rushed Elias towards the corner of the hall, further into the shadowy parts of the area and out of sight from anyone walking by. “While I was having breakfast this morning, I overheard some of the troops talking about the Magick wielder that killed your partner.” As she spoke, hushed tones and shifty eyes, she put the knife into Elias’ hand and enclosed her palm over his. “They’re being held here in the east wing, near the infirmary.”

Elias looked down to the knife in his palm, inhaling deeply after Psykhe removed her hand from his mouth. “Why are you giving me this, though?” The concern for his cornered state seemed to matter very little and he lifted his head, eyes finding Psykhe’s serious ones. She was taller than him by a couple of inches and had the faintest of freckles running across her cheeks, little things that Elias would not have realised unless they were this close more often. “You’re not thinking about going in there with these, are you?”

Psykhe rolled her eyes and lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing another knife tucked into the belt around her waist. “What else would I be doing with breakfast knives?” She scoffed and slipped the cutlery out of its safe place. “That Magick wielder killed our friend. We should be avenging her!” She whispered in low tones, barely audible and yet full of determined volumes of fury.

“For Eris?” Elias murmured, holding the knife closer to his chest.

He noticed how Psykhe did not say Eris’ name and remembered how she had been so straightforward on informing Eris’ parents on their daughter’s death. Oddly enough, Elias felt he should have been the one to trudge back to the inn and speak of how he had been the weak one and how he was unable to raise a hand against the enemy who had killed their daughter.

Once again, here was Psykhe doing everything Elias could only dream of doing.

“Elias, you were the best knife thrower in our class during the year,” Psykhe said. “If we both go in, we just might be able to do some justice and make up for our failed mission.”

Whether Elias had agreed aloud or not, he was soon trailing after Psykhe down the corridor and doing his best to keep up in her steps. She was quicker and took long strides with her equally long legs. Her shoulders were pulled back, remaining a certain casualness in comparison to the situation she had presented herself. Unlike Psykhe, Elias was having a hard time breathing properly and could not understand how on earth she could act so normal.

“It’s in here.” Said Psykhe, steps decreasing as she reached the end of a long hall with dim lights and polished oak walls. She made a gesture towards one of the numerous doors across from her, voice lowering to avoid conflict with passing ears. “They were talking about putting security on the outside. We should be quick if we don’t want to be caught.”

Elias felt his throat tighten and beads of sweat dotting across his brow. “How could you be so sure they’re in there?” He swiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt, panic bubbling in the pit of his stomach and threatening to tighten his lungs if they proceeded to walk any closer. “What if you’re wrong? What if there’s no one in there and we get caught with knives?”

Psykhe clicked her tongue and stepped out from the shadowy regions of the hallway and closer towards the door, knife glinting from the palm of her hand. “You scare too easily, Kara.” She whispered, back pressing against the wall beside the doorframe. Her free hand lifted and fingers curled around the golden doorknob. “You have to be more faithful in others.”

Elias watched Psykhe’s body language and tensed when her elbow locked and the doorknob clicked. He wanted to speak up and say something further, or at least do something to at least urge the young woman away from the door and back into the shadowy parts of the hallway where they would be safe and free from any kind of harm.

Psykhe moved too fast. She was slipping into the room before Elias had even registered the sound of the door swinging open. It was nothing more than basic instinct driving Elias to dash after his companion and into the room.

Stepping over the threshold, Elias was confronted with the sight of a rather luxuriously decorated room. He was stunned momentarily by the glittering glows flickering off the golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling above, producing an array of light to brighten the room. It was Psykhe shifting from the corner of his eye that made Elias move again.

Everything moved too fast after that.

“Kara!” Psykhe snapped after being hurled towards the wall by Enzo. “Get the killer!”

Blurred vision and a heavy head was the best way to describe just how Elias felt when he looked away from Psykhe and towards the large bed in the centre of the room. His mind did very little to register just who else could possibly be standing in the room other than Enzo and his eyes focused solely on the person sitting up on the bed, their back propped against the headboard and dark hands clasped over their stomach.

It had been their blank expression and white eyes which had thrown Elias off, thus leaving an opening on his own defence as he froze, arm raised above his head with the breakfast knife exposed for everyone to see.

He was thrown to the floor shortly after, head hitting the soft velvet exterior at the foot of the bed. The knife was forced out of his hand, pressured by the violent twist trembling down his arm and he let out a small cry of pain, eyes watering and vision growing even hazier.

“Kara,” Kane’s voice filled the room, killing the adrenaline running through Elias’ veins and causing the boy to look up and see his captain sitting on the edge of the bed beside Eris’ killer. “I’m sure you’ve met our best assassin, Theo Dante.”

Elias whimpered as the grip on his arm was loosened and he was yanked to his feet by a strong hand and shoved against the wall. Theo stood in front of him, flashing a smile of sharp, white teeth. His arms folded across his broad chest as his single eye flickered to Enzo, who was mumbling something to Psykhe as he shoved her towards Elias.

The two recruits shared a glance, reflecting their mutual feelings of stupidity and recklessness against their actions. Psykhe looked especially guilty after Enzo had whispered his disappointment in her ear. Elias noticed this and wondered just how ashamed he looked when his eyes jumped back to Kane, noticing the complete content resting upon the captain’s face as he gestured towards the person sitting up in bed.

“Kara, Trezla, allow me to put a name to your recent foe’s face,” his blue eyes glanced over to the Magick wielder. “This is Twyla Tychi, my former partner and the co-founder of the Rebellion.”