Fun Fact: Sorcerers and Warlocks are relatively new classes. When magic was first discovered, these two classes belonged to the same class, Wizards. The wizards were one of the most powerful types of Magi that delved into the roots of Arcani, Reality manipulation.
After a bloody civil war that lasted a hundred years, the wizards eventually went extinct and split themselves into the two classes that we are familiar with today. Reality magic gradually faded out of existence as well and was replaced by much tamer forms, such as Divination magic.
~ ~ ~
The solitary Guardian found his quarry in less than five minutes. They were huddled behind a rotting wooden door under a few flimsy pieces of aluminium, which was a pretty decent lodging for a pair of disaster victims, all things considered.
He swooped down from the freezing clouds and landed as gently as he could, before walking towards the mess of tents and pushing its makeshift door open.
“No!” A small scream almost made him jump. “Please don’t hurt us anymore. I have no more Arcani to spare; I need more time to recover…”
Sure enough, a woman and a young boy were sitting on the ground before him. Colour had long drained from their parched lips, and the woman was cradling her child to protect him from the biting winds. The young boy shivered further as cold air intruded into the cramped space, so Felix closed the door behind him. They pressed up harder against the wall in response.
“Missus Doukas, am I right?” Felix squatted down, offering them a flask of warming elixir. “Here, take this to warm yourselves. Worry not, I mean you no harm.”
“W— Who are you?” The mother seemed to relax her body as she received the tincture.
She brought it to her child’s lips instead. “Are you with the Meta Liberty Fighters?”
“Pardon me, I have no idea what that is.” Felix shook his head. “I’m from the Guardian Council; they’re on a mission to rescue any surviving stragglers still trapped out here. But I’m here for you on behalf of Nero.”
“Nero? You know my husband?” The woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh, thank the gods he’s alright! Did you hear that, Cato? Your father is alive!”
Felix smiled at the boy, but Cato only returned it with a glare colder than the outside winds.
“You Guardians are bad people,” he hissed as his lips curled into a resentful snarl. “You left us behind. You took my father away and abandoned us here!”
“Cato, they saved your father!” the woman exclaimed. “Don’t be so rude!”
“What? It’s true!”
Felix raised a placating hand before the boy got scolded by his mother further.
“I can’t speak for all Guardians, but this is no place to be huddling in the cold.” He offered a hand to help them up. “Come with me. I’ll take you back to your family.”
The woman did not budge.
“I’m sorry, but we don’t exactly have a choice in this matter.” She hung her head, showing him a pulsating circular technomagick device on her wrist that was pulsing red. “You’re one step too late. This place belongs to the Meta Liberty Fighters now.”
Felix frowned.
“What the hell is that?” he asked, irritation seeping into his voice. “C’mon, we don’t have time to be lingering here.”
“The Meta Liberty Fighters were an underground ‘brotherhood’ of Metas advocating for Meta superiority. Since they were only regarded as a minor terrorist group, the government never took them too seriously.”
Felix pursed his lips slightly. Not like he was against Meta rights, but it was people like this who were working against that. It was one thing to make their voices heard, but another to cause trouble for innocent people.
“Ever since this plague struck our country, they have gotten more and more aggressive in their recruitment campaign,” the woman continued. “And after the Guardian Council left with only half our population, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Most of us were doubtful about the capabilities, but they showed themselves well-trained enough to kill off all the monsters in this village. As such, they’ve taken over and are ruling this place now.”
“Well-trained or not, they’re clearly not doing a very good job being in charge.” Felix rolled his eyes. “Or you two wouldn’t still be half frozen. So why not leave?”
“Like I said, we can’t.” The woman fiddled with the device on her wrist. “The Liberty Fighters have chased out every Magi and put these devices on the rest of us Metas. They demand daily payments of Arcani in return for their ‘protection’. If we don’t comply, all they need to do is press a button, and it’ll mess up the attunement of Arcani in our bodies. The pain, it… It’s unbearable.”
Cato shuddered, and his mother hugged him instinctively.
“I appreciate you coming all the way here, but Magis are powerless in this place.” The woman cracked a pained smile. “Please… please tell Nero that we are doing fine for now.”
Felix clenched his fists, fighting down the anger bubbling within him now. He was not expecting much from his own race, but this was a new low.
We should be sticking together. Dammit, we shouldn’t be even fighting each other, especially during a time like this. Why is everyone so gods-damned greedy and selfish?
“No need.” The psychic waved his hand, and pink spheres scooped up the mother and child without warning. “I’m a Meta well.”
He gestured to the devices strapped to their wrist. “Don’t worry, the Guardian Council will get that sorted out.”
“But—” The woman began to protest, but a loud crash followed by more commotion cut her off. Felix scarcely had time to wonder what that was when Aglaia’s voice buzzed in his head.
Felix, can you hear me? We need your help!
~ ~ ~
Felix did not hold back on his entrance once he finally located the source of the commotion.
He stood up slowly from the cracked ground and glared at the group of Metas. They were in the middle of a standoff with the Guardian Council, and both sides couldn’t look more ready to attack. So Felix quickly stepped between both of them before they could start a pointless shootout.
He put his hands behind his back boldly, floating towards the gang of Metas.
“A Meta?” a woman with snowy white hair exclaimed, before scrunching up her face in anger. “Traitor! You side with these Magi invaders? Have you no shame?”
“I only take the side of humanity. I have no desire to fight, except for the survival of our fellow humans,” Felix spoke as calmly as he could. “So, how about we use our words?”
The woman eyed him warily, although she made no further movement. Felix took it as a sign to continue.
“Without Arcani, these lands are unforgiving.” He gestured broadly at the icy landscape. “The Guardian Council only wishes nothing more than to provide succour and shelter to those who need it. Can’t we work together?”
The woman narrowed her eyes before slowly breaking into a dark chuckle.
“I recognise you, Felix Pagonis,” she said. “Heard you single-handedly took down the Angelo syndicate with nothing but your Esper abilities, eh? The Meta Liberty Fighters could use a man like you on our side.”
“As I’ve just said, I have no desire to fight.”
“That’s a good start,” she replied coldly. “Name’s Isis Nikolaou, leader of the Meta Liberty Fighters. Shall we have words?”
“Nikolaou, was it?” Cybele butted in from behind Felix. “Our request is simple. Allow us to bring the Metas in this town back to our refugee centres, where they will be properly clothed and fed. Do that, and the Guardian Council will leave this place for good.”
Isis ignored her and turned to Felix.
“Does this yapping woman speak for you?” she asked lazily before turning to the Guardians. “Or is this just how you Magis negotiate? Funny, sounded more like a demand to me. The Metas in this town are under our care. Why should we give them up to a bunch of outsiders from some big city?”
“Because they’re in terrible conditions without anything else to sustain themselves!” Cybele was swiftly losing her temper. “If you truly care about their well-being, the least you can do is improve their living conditions.”
“First, you demand my property, and now you disrespect our methods.” Isis shook her head with an amused look on her face. “You really don’t realise the position you’re in, do you? Looks like the ‘Elite’ Guardian Council is nothing more than a bunch of brainless muscleheads.”
The woman picked up a twig on the floor, twirling it around her fingers absentmindedly.
“A simple lesson on negotiation—”
She seized Felix without warning, pointing the twig at his neck. “Always have something to bargain with.”
Felix’s eyes widened in surprise as the frail-looking twig transmuted into a jagged metallic dagger. The Guardians charged up their rifles again, and the surrounding Metas powered up in response.
“No! Let him go, please! Don’t hurt him!”
What the hell, Aglaia? Why’d you run out?
“What have we here, another Meta?” Isis flicked her head. “Ah, ah, ah. Don’t even think about it, kid.”
Spikes burst from the ground, encircling and trapping Aglaia in a ring of teeth. Felix creased his eyebrows, racking his mind.
Just what exactly was this woman’s ability? Was she a geokinetic? No, the way she transformed that twig looked more like magic. Was she a Magi, then? No, that was impossible as well. If she had used magic just then, she would’ve turned into an Abomination by now.
The Guardian Leader took a step forward, but Isis simply pressed the dagger harder against Felix’s neck. The Tier Five psychic smirked at that futile gesture; it was going to take much more than a simple knife to hurt him.
His grin promptly slipped off his face when the spikes trapping Aglaia closed in on her as well. Cybele released a growl of frustration, jabbing her rifle at Isis.
“What’s the matter? Not used to losing?” Isis taunted the heaving woman. “Better get used to it, lady. This is just the beginning. But you’re in luck, invaders. I am feeling magnanimous today, so I have decided to comply with your demands. Here’s the deal. I’ll let all the Metas in this town go free, in exchange for—”
The woman gestured to Felix and Aglaia. “—These two.”
“Fat chance,” Cybele spat. “We don’t trade lives. Let them go, or face the wrath of the Guardian Council!”
Isis continued looking at her with a silent smile. The Guardian leader turned around, slowly realising that she was the only one who had still kept her weapon up. She glared at her subordinates in both anger and confusion, but they simply avoided her gaze.
“It seems your men are a little unwilling to put their lives on the line for a few Metas. Ah… just as expected from selfish Magis. You’ve lost your bargaining chips, Guardian.”
The Meta Liberty Leader simpered at Cybele, who looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.
“Oh, silly girl. Do not fret. These two Metas are guests of mine and will be treated as such. No harm will come to them if they comply with our demands.”
A Meta stepped forward and hooked a freezing metal device onto Felix’s neck. He did not resist. Aglaia looked at him worriedly as another Meta approached her, but he only shook his head slightly, telepathically telling her not to resist as well.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Isis smirked slightly. “Before I go, a parting gift—”
Yells of shock went around as the ground beneath the Guardians turned into freezing water without warning.
“—For the disrespect you have shown me.” The Meta gave a taunting wave at the sputtering Magis, who were struggling to keep their head above the water. “That’s only going to last for a minute, by the way. So, best get out of that puddle before you’re buried alive in ice.”
Isis signalled for her gang to leave, and Felix followed her reluctantly.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5J5PpySfL
