Chapter one: The Arrival *solo*

[The Divide]

My name is Cero Greiverton, a former captain of the Supreme Regent's personal guard, and this is my story.

I was a tool of Saosi, a realm far away from the reality of the planet Althanas, sealed in a dimension known as the Rift. I served my gods well by overseeing the well being of my people and the people of the planets to which I travelled through portals known as Oku gates. There, in Saosi, I held a position of authority and respect, before I was ultimately betrayed, and cast aside.

I remember well. The members of my squad made jokes about Riftspawn, the way people always make jokes about things that frighten them but can’t be gotten away from. They called them “darkies”, and made cracks about how weak they were, and how people like me got an easy living trying to sort them out, making it look harder than it actually was to fight and kill one of them. Not all of them believed it was a show for the troops, though. Some of them thought we were putting it on to raise morale; give the people something to boost their spirits. You know, a dead darkie here and there made the place look good, right?

But for the ones who actually had to face a darkie in combat, the humour went out of the situation in a hurry. I presided over seventy two Riftspawn hunts in my time at Saosi’s Central Courts, a figure I’ll never be confused about, and I’ll remember up until the day that I die. I think that for most of my men, the truth of what was happening to them as we went on that long march out of the barracks and through the Oku gate finally hit home when our small task force came up against a darkie face to face. They weren’t like the rumours, oh no. These weren’t small, ghost like apparitions that had a smiley face and occasionally waved their arms at you to give you a fright.

These things were pure evil.

Imagine a person who hates you with the utmost intensity. Imagine if you will that the person no longer has any mortal emotions or thoughts, but just a hollow shell filled with nothing but rage and instinct to drive them. You can see in their eyes that at this point there is no reasoning with them. It’s kill or be killed. Only thing is, you don’t fight a person at all. The entity in front of you is a soul that never made it to the afterlife, just a cloud of burden that got trapped in the Rift, and it’s been corrupted. It’s been condensed into a living, self aware poltergeist of darkness, whose only natural programming tells it to utterly destroy anything it comes across. It's in their DNA, their black blood, to obliterate everything.

The method doesn’t matter. Sometimes they’ll fire these large, concentrated beams of negative spirit energy at you and kill you. Sometimes they’ll have a weapon of some description, maybe a sword or a lance, and they’ll kill you with that. I’ve even seen one use Senkai arts. That one was probably a former Saosian. Whatever they use, darkies are one of the most terrifying adversaries I’ve ever faced.

The realisation came then for my squad. You would look around you and be the only one with your Senkai drawn, and you would see the cold dismay rising in the eyes of your soldiers. Darkies' clientele came to a knowledge of their deaths very quickly if they didn’t act fast. I always taught them one thing; use your Hyaku straight away. Don’t get caught hesitating, one second late and you’re finished.

After we had finished a darkie, giving it a double tap to ensure its demise and that we wouldn’t be caught with our pants around our ankles, I wouldn’t say a word to them. I would purposely walk behind them on the journey back to the camp, and take note of the expressions of those who I had heard wisecracking during the day.

I swear to you now, any one of those men would have traded for sentry duty.

Any of them.

There was never a time during my six years as captain in the Supreme Regent’s guard when I could honestly say I trusted my life with any of my men. Apart from the fact very few of them showed any promise for anything above the level of a rank and file Saosian, corruption was rife in our divisions, and those of us who knew about it kept very quiet. You see, the traditional duty of a Saosian is threefold.

Firstly, we, serving under our deities and our Supreme Regent, were to keep the Riftspawn, the darkies, to a minimum. This was a no brainer. If enough of them decided to mass up and attack Saosi, or any other world, we would be finished. There is not a man who, without the power of Rei, can stand up to a darkie alone.

Secondly, we were to help other planets and civilizations promote growth and peace. This didn’t make us the police of the galaxy, or gave us authority to mess around with other cultures, but if we kept the level of evil spirits in the universe down to a minimum, then the number of Riftspawn would fall and eventually we could all just enjoy our lives without having to worry about who is getting what from the life insurance.

Our final duty was simply to explore and populate other planets, spending our days perfecting whatever it was we decided to pursue. We weren’t robots. Most of us wanted to broaden our horizons and reach new heights, through poetry or prose or combat prowess, whatever we were good at. In Saosi, I had a reputation for being one of the strongest, despite not being able to access Rei, my Jigoku Izanami’s final form, so I decided to focus on my soldiering. It wasn’t as much of an issue for me, but for others it was a status symbol, and when you walk alongside the captains who had perfected Rei, you realise just how much some power can corrupt people.

There is an...organisation...that exists that not many of the rankers know about. It reigns above even the Supreme Regent, controlling him, the squads and all of the captains. Its corruption is deep rooted, and their goals are selfish and inwardly focused, yet simple. The dominance of Saosi over every living creature in the universe.

Traditional and pure Saosians like myself quickly distanced ourselves from this hostile policy. There were protests, marches and riots, but despite evidence of corruption stemming through almost every squadron of Saosians, not a single captain could pinpoint the root of it. Behind every puppet is a master...behind every order, a motive.

Every action has a response. Our efforts, and our secret efforts, to get to the root of the problem were hampered by the ordering of 'special missions' from our superiors, often involving sending extremely small task forces headed by key figures of our underground rebellion into very large areas of darkie concentration. The result was obvious, and before you could blink we were short five captains. Five good captains, with seven good men each.

So when, after we came through the Oku gate home from our latest hunt, I was asked to report for a "special mission" from the Supreme Regent himself, and I could have been forgiven for being nervous. I wasn't sure if they knew I was behind the rebellion or not, and I wasn't sure where they were sending me or why.

All I knew is that I had almost made up my mind about my future. I just needed a push.

[The Divide]

“Captain Cero Greiverton of the Seventh Regent, step forward.”

I felt my stomach churn, as it did every time I or any other member of the guard was summoned. The words that bellowed from the nearby Court Magister seemed to drag out for an age as they left his lips, snuck through a small mouth slit in his helmet and sailed across the cold, still air, and I glanced around me to try and harness some idea of what was about to happen, trying to take in my surroundings and the telltale expressions of the people around me. I got nothing. I was outside in my full court attire, a white robe, under a blanket of night, in the middle of the Saosian Court Central Square. It was the heart of Saosian operations and the home of the Supreme Regent, and I was flanked by two entire divisions of infantry, with four towering red brick pagoda buildings to my north, south, east and west. Down the middle, covering the smoothed cobble courtyard was a red and golden weave carpet carving a path between the two blocks of one hundred by one hundred soldiers packed into the courtyard, and at the end stood the golden seven foot throne of the Supreme Regent himself.

And I was wondering what the hell was going on.

It seemed like a mental and physical drain to move my legs. I wasn’t rested from my previous mission and as I marched drill fashion in equal steps down the three set stairwell I was stood on, sort of a marble podium, and I tried to keep my eyes focused only on the Regent, I felt my vision blurring slightly. I even counted the paces in my head, keeping myself from looking left or right, trying to block out questions I wanted to ask and focus. Questions like "why have they called out the whole guard out, and why in the middle of the night?".

I must have walked sixty or so paces when I reached a carpet covered step dividing the front row of the two infantry divisions and the Regent. I stopped dead. It wasn’t as much a step as the point of no return, in that if you cross it without permission and you were likely to be executed.

“You have permission, Greiverton. His highness is waiting.”

The Magister to my right was stood alone on the brink of the step, away from a small gathering of various officials to the left of the Regents throne. As I turned my head slightly to cast a glance at him, the naked moonlight overhead glistening off of his full body armour, I felt something odd, a presence perhaps. His armour was gleaming and had all manner of carvings and inscriptions on it, as well as a shimmering silver helmet that covered his head entirely, a single eyeslit blackened out horizontally across his face visor. Indeed, being a Magister, it was likely ceremonial armour, yet suited to its task. Much like the two Senkai he wielded.

“Yes, my liege.”

We had to address all Magisters as such. They were an extension of the Regent’s elite forces and personal guard, and even I wasn’t sure if they had yet been touched by the tainted will of the hierarchs. They were some of the most respected warriors in Saosi, and in the event that they were still pure were likely to be powerful allies in the future.

When I finally reached the Regent, I bowed my head slowly and knelt, protocol for dealing with royal blood. You never look a Regent in the eye, lest you crave a good slapping from your commanding officer.

If I had looked up, I would have peered at the wrinkled, withering face of an old man, an almost ancient figure, yet I would have sensed immediately an air of wisdom about him. He was bald with a long white beard from his chin to his chest, and almost always kept his eyes closed whilst speaking. I have no idea why, but it is said that the Regent can create a picture of spirit energy in his head, effectively rendering his eyes obsolete. The picture he creates is so accurate he can overcome even blindness. His royal robes where white and black, flowing from two different layers and draped over the bottom of the throne easily. This was the only bit of him I allowed myself to see.

“Your royal highness…” The Magister piped up, eventually. “I present Captain Cero Greiverton of the seventh division.”

“Your servant…” I said slowly and cautiously, bowing again to the Regent.

“Indeed…” The Regent responded. He spoke quietly and patiently, a tone befitting a man his age, if not a little ruggedly. “You serve me well. I am aware of your work tonight. I have heard you reported, and suppressed, a powerful Riftspawn ten miles outside of Saosi with a taskforce of seven men. Did you take any casualties whilst dealing with this very serious threat?”

If I had frowned, I hoped he hadn’t seen it. He will have read the report, probably even from that Court Magister, so why on earth was he asking me these questions? Regents are not supposed to make small talk with common soldiers. I suppose I had to answer.

“Sir, my men were valiant, but I regret to report we lost one member of our squad whilst fighting the spawn. Unfortunately he was unable to release his Hyaku in time.”

The Regent frowned, but the look was not of sorrow. I didn’t see it, as I was too busy trying to count the cobbles with my head bowed. My mind was on other things, like the real reason I was there.

“Regrettable. Fighting against Riftspawn is a serious business. Whilst we endeavour to bring our men and women home alive, sometimes we must make sacrifices for the greater good.” He was no longer talking to me, but mid-monologue, aiming his words of wisdom at the two divisions of infantry behind me. I didn’t look up.

“Captain Cero Greiverton, I would like to make arrangements for this fallen warrior’s burial and memorial. We will honour him as he should be honoured for his bravery. Please have your vice-captain pass on his details as soon as possible to the Magisters.”

I nodded, but did not speak. I was starting to realise what was going on. In the same way a mother or father would sweet talk a child into doing something for them with promise of reward, I got the feeling that the Regent was about to do a little giving and taking himself. He gives me the ability to honour my fallen comrade, and I give him my life.

“I would have all of you take heed…” The Regent continued to the infantry behind me “that Riftspawn are no laughing matter. You will all continue to take the danger they pose to our society and way of life very seriously.”

The Regent stood up, and I instinctively bowed lower.

“Rise, Captain.”

Odd. Very odd. I stood up, though.

“There is something I, and the society of Saosi, need you to do. A great task.”

Here we go.

“It is a mission of grave importance.”

I knew it.

“A mission…”

To which only you are suited.

I thought it at exactly the same time as he said it, and I was then convinced it was a hatchet job. Five captains with seven men each had already undergone the same routine, perhaps not as elaborately, but certaintly as effectively. I was next in line. Instantly, although my expression never changed, chemicals whizzed around my body and made my whole soul shake with anger. I started thinking about it. Two divisions of infantry called out in the middle of the night, with a single Magister supervising. The Regent himself. Hell, there were probably a couple of those puppeteers sat on the roof of the north pagoda gut-laughing into the night, watching the look on my face, hoping to catch a glimpse of my frustration to justify their efforts.

“Sometimes we must make sacrifices for the greater good.”

It was obvious to me that the casualty speech and the dangers of not taking darkies seriously monologue to the divisions stood silently behind me was to throw me off the scent, and at the same time announce to those “in the know” that I was the ‘traitor’. For that reason, I couldn’t wait to leave. I didn’t care from then on where they sent me, or what I was supposed to do, obtain, or break for them. I would simply disappear and have nothing more to do with them.

As it turns out, the Regent wanted me to fetch for him an item “of grave importance.” Everything that had turned out to be completely useless over the past decade was at some stage of “grave importance” to Saosi, whether it was a necklace made of porcupine bones or the fucking Holy Grail itself. We were sent out, used like errand boys for some de-facto intergalactic postal service, and brought back either in pieces or utterly bored. This time though I was glad. I would get out and get gone.

The briefing continued for another twenty minutes. If it had gone on for another twenty hours I wouldn’t have cared, and I absorbed nothing but the two important details; my destination, and who was coming with me. No Regent is dumb enough to send a known “traitor” away from Saosi without a “trusted” colleague to keep safe watch over me, lest I disappear into the night like a phantom in the wind. At first I half expected for him to announce his Magister friend as my escort, in which case I expected to be murdered upon arrival and fed to the pigs if the Regent had deemed me a threat, but lady luck smiled upon me that night.

I had assigned to me my vice-captain, Willow Croix.

[The Divide]

Vice-captain Willow Croix was as beautiful as the sin you never had the nerve to commit, with a slender, petite body and silky smooth blonde hair and skin, and was as tough as they came. She had put up with six years of abuse from her squad mates, who believed her to be “darkie fodder” from the day she had joined my squadron, but wouldn’t put up with the creeping around that some of the guys did to try and dig up some dirt on her for a single moment.

And this is why...

One day not too long ago, she found out that one of her darkie encounters had been set up by a loudmouthed squaddie on my watch, who was eager to test if she had the minerals to be my vice-captain. The idiot in question had set some bait at the Oku gate in Saosi forest for a darkie to come calling, and had sent word for Willow Croix to rescue a seven man task force there. Only thing is, Willow wasn’t around, out on watch with myself and three others, and instead one of her best mates from fifth division came to the rescue of the seven man task force that was being attacked.

Sadly, and tragically, Willow’s friend and five of the seven man squad never returned, and when Willow eventually hunted down and destroyed the darkie responsible, single-handedly, she had the unenviable task of performing an ad-hoc burial of the various severed body parts of that small cadre.

The two that returned that day were the two that had tried to set her up. Whether or not they honestly intended for their small squad to be wiped out by the darkie remains a mystery to the untrained eye, but to me, it was murder. Unjustified, cold-hearted murder. Those people did not stand a chance without a vice-captain or captain present, and they knew it, yet they were still willing to press their luck against immense odds. But that was nothing compared to what was expecting them back home.

That evening, Willow stood waiting for the unfortunate pair at the top of the stairs leading to the seventh division barracks overlooking the courtyard, having paid off the sentries to look the other way, and then hid amidst the ceiling beams when she heard someone coming. She waited until they got their armour off then dropped both of their guts onto the wooden pagoda floor, swinging down from the rafters like a ninja on drugs. Used one of their own hunting tools to do it, too, right across the girth of their stomachs in one deft slice, side by side. Messy, but effective. I was almost impressed, but I spent three hours cleaning up the aftermath.

“That will teach you to fuck with me and my friends, you bastards!” She had said, a stone cold tone in her throat, masking the tears shed for her dead comrades earlier that day.

The cover up that followed was intricate and very elaborate, but worth it. It was somehow passed off to the Regency as a double suicide…a verdict that raised a round of applause in the small circle of friends who had arranged to clean up the mess. I was glad to see Willow’s fine arse wiggle right out of the Saosi gates instead of turning left into the execution grounds, I can tell you that, and I can’t say I miss those two one bit. My squad didn’t need anyone so dangerously stupid, and Willow meant more to me as a person, a friend and a vice-captain than to see her executed for murder, the same charge that should have been levied on those two morons.

Strangely, despite the epic efforts we went to in order to keep things quiet and under wraps, it seemed seventh division had somehow got wind of what happened. I was expecting a bloody coup and prepared for the worst, but instead, as Willow softly walked across our pagoda floor, there were nods of respect from our soldiers. Some clapped, some bowed their heads, and some stayed silent and just smiled. I admit now, even I was surprised. News travelled fast round Saosi, and it seems a few good men in my squad had lost friends in that massacre too. Willow’s revenge had won both the respect of my men and women and probably their trust too, because whatever the situation, you never go into battle without a leader. She took responsibility, buried her friend and the friends of those around her, and had destroyed the darkie, all under intense pressure, and then removed those two from our company, and existence, to compensate.

Back in real time, shortly after I took the Regent's orders, I stood at the top of the stairs in the barracks of the seventh division, right where she had waited for her two prey on that fateful day, and I looked into Willow's eyes. They were the eyes of a woman who would not hesitate to take a mans hunting tool and gut him with it if she deemed it necessary, and yet also the eyes of someone who would never leave a friend behind. You knew just by looking at her she was someone you could depend on. At least you did if you've spent as much time minding Saosians as I had.

"...Are you ok?"

I didn't really know what to say, other than the answer she was expecting me to come out with. She spoke softly, and put a warm hand on my right shoulder. I closed my eyes.

"Captain...Cero...I saw what happened out there. You don't need to explain. I got my orders an hour ago from the Court Magisters, we're bound for a planet called Althanas, and i've made up my mind. If I have to leave..."

"You don't have to do anything, vice-captain." I interrupted. I felt a little guilty for cutting her off, but I wasn't about to drag her into my problems. She had enough of them as it was. "...They are sending me on one of their little errands of suicide, I suspect. We both know that what happened out there was an earmarking of me as a traitor of Saosi. We both know what will happen if I come back, and what will probably happen when I leave. You aren't under any obligation to come."

Even if I sounded calm at the time, I was furious at the circumstances. I was being villified by the people I had sworn to protect and now I would probably never get another chance to stamp out the rot. I would lose my chance to protect Willow and my friends.

Willow turned, and stroked a finger down a wooden doortrack, looking down sadly. It was now that I really noticed the beauty of Saosi, both of the barracks architecture and Willow herself. The interior decoration of our pagoda was really quite gorgeous, with high quality fabric carpets, varnished wooden floors for the main rooms, freshly painted kanji paintings, quality timber beams supporting our newly tiled roof and comfortable quarters for both the staff and the soldiers, complete with sliding parchment and hide doors. When I looked over at Willow, I almost imagined what she would look like in our imaginary house, as my imaginary wife, cooking me imaginary meals and feeding our imaginary children. Her blonde hair flowed like a beautiful river over her shoulders and down her black gi, tied at the back into a ponytail but styled into two long middle parted curves of hair that reached her breasts. Her turquiose eyes were full of life and spirit, and her thin lips accentuated her high cheekbones perfectly. She was a picture of beauty.

Even though I wanted to continue in that world for a moment, I shook myself loose of the grasp of my imagination and focused on facing the reality. I could be leaving all of this behind. I had no choice but to do my duty and...

"They'll have you murdered, like the others, won't they?" She interrupted my train of thought with a difficult question, to which she already knew the answer. I hesitated for a moment, trying to think about what to say for the first time in my life.

"They'll have to find me first. But I won't let that happen..." I retorted, quite unconvincingly, even for me. The Court Magisters could find blood in a stone. It would be amazingly easy to track down my spirit energy for one of them, and fighting them one on one was even more dangerous than fighting darkies.

"Cero..." Willow spoke softly, almost sobbing. "...All these years, you've stood by me and your men, even when the odds have been stacked against us. You fought for us, you fought for yourself and for the right things. Even when the Regency began to rot you vowed to keep fighting on so you could make a difference and put an end to the corruption. You gave us hope. And now, what? You expect me to stay here without you? What for?"

"You'll get my job for a start, Willow. You can become a captain of the Regency, like your dream, right? Stick it to the naysayers in the seventh." I tried to match her softness, and tried as hard as I could to put some conviction into my words, but I did a poor job, and they fell on deaf ears.

"I do not want to be a captain in a corrupt world, Cero. I don't want anything to do with it. What I want..." Willow started to sob, and I grimaced. "..W-what I want is for us...for us to get away from all this. I've lost friends for no reason, for corruption. I don't want to lose you too...if I lose you, I lose my soul...you've done so much for me. So I'm coming with you...to repay you."

I could see that the more I tried to convince her to stay, the more convinced she was of coming with me. In truth, I never wanted her to stay in this environment anyway, but coming with me meant putting her in harms way. I never wanted to do that, ever.

Eventually Willow Croix went to her dormitory to pack her stuff in preperation for our so-called mission, and I left her to it, leaving the barracks and stopping at the fountain in the now empty court square. As I watched the water ebb over the lip of the inner bowel of the marble water feature, and took in the strong moonlight above, I wondered with all of my heart what I would do once we were on the other side of that Oku gate on Althanas, and wondered what kind of place it was. As I tossed a single silver coin into the crystal blue liquid, and watched the last of the ripples fade away, I sighed heavily and kicked my heels against the cobbles.

[The Divide]

The wide corridor up the centre of the seventh division barracks proper was floored with neatly set, varnished and trimmed timber the colour of light chestnut, and gave off an aroma of rich mahogany. It ran, from top to bottom, at a guess, perhaps seventy paces from top to bottom, about the same distance I marched between the two divisions of infantry over the courtyard when I was summoned by our Regent. At the bottom was the entrance to our training quarters, where seventh division sparred and honed their skills with their Senkai and Senkai arts, a room about the same length as the corridor and roughly fifty paces wide. At the top end of the corridor was a T-junction. A left turn here would take you into the sundrenched gardens, where an acre of highly tended plants and trees awaited you, including a vast array of beautiful cherry blossom trees aligned by a winding path leading up to a small lake. Here, Willow often strolled, tending to various parts of the greenery and, if time allowed, maybe just relaxed with a book. Compared to every other walk of life in Saosi, it seemed like these gardens were on another plane of existence altogether to anyone who took the time to wind down in it.

A right turn though – that was different. First you passed through a sliding door into my office, where there was a simple wooden desk, chair and a worn brown carpet, something I had been meaning to change for some time but never got around to. On the far side was seventh division flag, a black circle aghast a white background encircled also by the ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, the symbol of infinity, and two doors. One led to a toilet, and the other led to something resembling a storage shed.

This was where you ended up when you were preparing for a mission.

It was only a small door, one you had to usually duck under to avoid smacking your head on the rim above (unless you were Willow Croix), and you came out onto a little landing, and then down a set of steps onto another wooden plank floor. This time though, the floor was not afforded the same luxuries as our barracks, and was stained, splintered and tatty. It was a miserable little room with almost no warmth and a metal roof, and in winter you could often watch your own breath vapours rise in front of you as you collected your equipment.

On the left side of the shed there were various pieces of equipment. Tools were locked in frames and bound with chains, as if they were swords and axes instead of spades, and sacks of spare tiles and building materials were lined up against the wall neatly in order. On the right there were our tools of death. Sitting up on a plank platform in the southeast corner of the storeroom was a ceremonial rack containing the Senkai weapons of senior officers. I always thought it odd, considering the sentimental value of our weapons (they were both a ceremonial item and a functional one), that they be locked up in what was effectively a glorified toolshed, but regulations were regulations. All Senkai were to be locked up behind the Captains office at all times whilst on standby. I suppose it was my fault for not sprucing the place up when I had the chance.

“You know what...I got lazy with decorating. Here’s your Samemune…” I chuckled, handing her Senkai to her. It was in its sheath, a lovely night blue and gold ivory ornamental one that I got her as a gift on her promotion to vice-captain. Within it contained the power of her Senkai, Samemune Shinryu, a finely crafted katana that curved to a point, unlike mine which was a straight edged blade. I picked up my own Senkai, Jigoku Izanami, and quickly studied its form. My own sheath was white ivory and gold trim, a design I had fallen in love with when I had seen it, and I hadn’t looked back since. The blade itself was straight and flawless, something I preferred, as I felt could deliver more crushing blows with a straight edged sword to an opponent.

“Are we off then?” Willow stood by the door, leaning on the frame with an elbow. Any element of hesitation or doubt she may have had seemed to have evaporated last night. I think she had finally made up her mind, and now I knew there was no going back. “You can’t bring the rack with you, you know.”

“Gutted, but yeah, we’re off.” I sighed, patting the silver and gold frame of my Senkai stand on its ‘head’ like I would pet a dog. “Be good. You cost me a lot of money.”

[The Divide]

When we were set, and all of our things were gathered, myself and Willow Croix set about our barracks giving our men the final goodbyes. I hated long, drawn out affairs, and my squad knew this, and yet for some reason didn’t take it on board as they flooded us both with messages of heartfelt goodwill. For the first time in years, I felt proud to be a captain in the Regency, or at least proud of my soldiers, but I felt even prouder of Willow, who was finally, and only at the end, getting the full admiration she deserved from the lads she risked her life for week in, week out. I sincerely hoped that a captain worthy of my squad would take out the corruption of the Regency in my stead, bringing my boys and girls to new heights in their careers, but somehow I just felt it was probably never going to happen, and for a moment, the thought depressed me that so much talent would probably go to waste. I made a small vow there and then that one day, some day, I would come back and finish the job I started, and maybe even take command of the seventh division once again with Willow at my side.

It wasn’t long before the Court Magisters came to collect us for escort to the Oku gate in the forest, the same one where Willow buried her friends. I honestly couldn’t believe the Regency would be so heartless as to make her walk past her departed comrades one more time, but then again, I couldn’t believe I was being earmarked a traitor either, maybe not directly, but some messages are more easily transmitted discreetly.

“Captain Cero Greiverton, and vice-captain Willow Croix, both of the seventh division of Saosi’s Regency…” The largest Court Magister I’ve ever seen bellowed from beneath his faceless ceremonial helmet. “…are you ready to undertake your mission?”

I looked him up and down mostly to register his height as a fact and not an optical illusion. It was real, six feet and eight inches tall, and he must have been at least two eighty. I looked up once again, and the Magister had shuffled a little to one side. Behind him I could see Willow who, in comparison, was like a little mouse. Her face, however, was resolute…there was a strange determination in her face that I hadn’t seen for a while. The same tenacity of the night she avenged her fallen friends.

“Yeah. I’m ready. Very ready.” I mused.

“Me too.” Pipped Willow from behind the armoured goliath. “Will we be using the forest Oku gate?”

“Yes.” Came the short but to-the-point answer from the overwhelming bulk of the Magister. Every time he uttered a word it nearly made me crap my pants prematurely.

“Then I have a pre-mission request.” Willow stated in her ‘this-is-a-matter-of-fact, not-a-question’ tone. “I wish to quickly visit the grave of fifth squadron there. It’s next to the gate.”

“I suppose…” The Court Magister roared “…We can allow it.”

“Good.” Willow said, matter-of-factly again.