Chapter 12:

  It was quiet now. Shogai didn't really know what to think. Kiara was gone, which should have been a cause for celebration, but Shogai felt emptier than anything. Why was that? She abandoned them.

  Xero looked exactly like he did when he first saved Shogai from Sekara. He coughed, worried that Shogai would dislike him for letting her escape again, which was entirely untrue. The way Shogai saw it, Xero had saved him twice now.

  "I'm glad you're up, Jade, but don't try and read my mind. You're too tired to break in."

  Shogai turned to see Jade's eyes open. Relief flooded him. She was still pale, but she was conscious. That was good.

  "S-sorry," she spoke through staggered breaths. Her breathing was heavy.

  "Don't worry, I'll tell you what I can. Nexus is underground, in the mountain range above Sunden. I can't tell you more, but you should hopefully find it before Sekara finds you. I'll be waiting for you with some Nexeans. We’ll be ready to fight. Don't die."

  Xero waved before Shogai could ask more questions.

  "One last thing. Stop running into suicide battles. Your life is just as valuable as anyone else's. Good luck."

  In a flash of blue light, Xero vanished. Shogai and Jade were alone.

  With the adrenaline gone, Shogai's stomach pain was getting more intense. But he was focused on Jade. She was awake, but barely. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

  Shogai turned to Gongadion, and he saw five residents approaching at a brisk pace. He stood up straight to face them. So that’s why Xero had to be so cryptic. People were watching. Maybe not listening, but this was reason enough to be cautious. The moment they reached him, he was bombarded with questions.

  "Are you guys ok?"

  "Is anyone hurt?"

  "A watchman said he saw a sea of fire. What happened?"

  "No. Just show us your injuries. We won't pry. Mira is a healer; she can help."

  These people were being awfully nice, which made Shogai suspicious. He figured they probably wanted money and were going to charge him for being healed.

  The woman called Mira stepped forward, and Shogai stepped away.

  "I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about it."

  "No, you're not. And neither is she."

  Mira gestured at Jade's body, and Shogai was reminded of his priorities. To get Jade a healer.

  "Fine. Heal her. Please."

  Mira was satisfied with that and knelt beside Jade. Shogai kept a very close eye on her, but she was indeed genuinely healing her. She raised her hand over Jade's body, and Shogai noticed her burns vanishing. It was slow, slower than when the witch girl healed him, but it was effective. Jade opened her eyes.

  "Jade," Shogai was relieved to see her fine, "Are you alright?"

  "Shogai. I-I think so, yeah."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "As long as she doesn't move around too much in the next hour, she'll be good as new. Your turn."

  Mira snapped her fingers at Shogai to show her the injuries, but he was hesitant. He'd be fine. He decided to just pay Mira and go.

  "How much?" he asked, reaching through his pockets. The people around Mira laughed.

  "Money? Mira's fine without money; she doesn't need to be paid. She's doing this so that you can live. Nothing more."

  "Yes, yes. Thank you, everyone." Mira said impatiently. Shogai still felt hesitant. Free healing did sound nice…

  "Shogai, you won't survive the day. Grow up and accept help."

  "Right, fine. Just don't ask questions."

  Shogai pulled up his shirt to reveal his torso, and it was way worse than he thought. Mira's friends recoiled at the red blood and black burns. Mira hesitated for a moment, but it wasn’t out of fear or disgust. More curiosity. Without a word, she held her hand over his injuries and waited. They slowly healed. Slowly, but refreshingly. In moments, Shogai felt like he could run a mile. Jade was on her feet already, and Shogai had to re-evaluate his opinion on strangers. Are they all so bad?

  Mira stumbled forward. Shogai caught her shoulder to help her not hit the ground, and Mira whispered to him, so quiet he'd almost thought he'd imagined it.

  "That was Ryukyu, wasn't it? Come with me."

  She then stood up and smiled, thanking Shogai and turning around.

  "I assume you're visiting Gongadion, right? I'm sure you'll love your stay."

  She and her friends walked off. Shogai looked at Jade and nodded in Mira's direction with a concerned expression. He hoped she'd get the hint.

  The two of them then followed the five, slowly and cautiously. Mira waved goodbye to her friends once they entered the gates of the village. No… the city.

  Gongadion was brighter and busier than even Harabel. There were colours and people everywhere. The marketplace greeted them at the entrance, and people were selling all sorts of things, from food to carpets to potions. Shogai doubted the potions were real, but he'd also learned a lot over the past few days, so who knew?

  Mira led them ahead, through the endless market. The rest of the city wasn't any less impressive. Each house was huge, and the roadways between them were clean. Shogai and Jade followed their guide to her house. It was a small and homely place. Jade didn't hesitate to follow Mira. She must have detected no malice from her. Inside was a kitchen, and a woman working there. Intrigued by the two strangers in their house, she called out to Mira.

  "Dear, who are your friends?"

  "Oh, this is Jade and Shogai. They're visiting."

  Mira's mother gave it some thought, but clearly trusted her daughter enough.

  "Very well. They may stay the night if they want. Tea, anyone?"

  Mira asked Shogai and Jade to wait in her room. It was quite large, with a double bed in the centre. The family was clearly very well off. Mira came up a couple of moments later with biscuits.

  "Help yourself. Now then, let's talk. Ryukyu was fighting someone, wasn't he?"

  Shogai and Jade glanced at each other and decided to play dumb.

  "Who?"

  "Oh, that's the name of the dragon guy. I know you met him. I've healed wounds like that quite a lot with my sister. Tell me what happened. Who was he fighting? Will they be back?"

  Mira knew an awful lot. Too much. There was no point in lying to her, and Shogai knew it.

  Don't tell her everything, though. She knows a lot, but we don't know how much we want her to know. Put in a lie here and there.

  Shogai acknowledged what Jade said and carefully picked his words.

  "An Aberrant called Sekara attacked us. Ryukyu came in and killed it. That's all that happened."

  Mira paused. Her jaw dropped. Stunned. Surprisingly… excited. She exclaimed,

  "YES! She's dead?! Really?!"

  Shogai was taken aback by her enthusiasm.

  "Umm… yeah."

  He was beginning to regret this lie already.

  "That's incredible! If she's dead, he's going to be weaker than he's been in centuries. Was Ryukyu alone?"

  Shogai didn't know what to say, so he nodded.

  "Ha! Knowing him, he's too shy to take credit for a victory like that. But he’d have reported back to base. Nexus must be planning an assault on the Deviants. I need to go there, they could use my help.. We can make a move on the enemy. This is huge!"

  Shogai and Jade had no idea what was going on, but Jade clung to one piece of information.

  "You know where Nexus is? You know Nexeans as well. Who are you?"

  Mira was pacing, but she slowed down.

  "Oh. I'm Mira. My sister is Nifa. A Nexean. Inner Rank 8."