Some hours before, in the dull lonely room of an hotel.

  Elizabeth was sitting in her room, tweaking Airis’ settings via her tablet’s interface. Some time had passed since she let the girls go out. She was hyperfixated on her job, obsessing maniacally over every single parameter. She was a perfectionist in nature, and so she couldn’t let her biggest contribution to science, the quasi-omniscient intelligence Airis, be rendered useless. She had already changed many of the parameters, updated functionalities and even made the ship remotely take off and fly nearby so Airis could be closer. She was so focused, a young man had to knock repeatedly for ten minutes before she noticed.

  Annoyed by the sudden disturbance of her peace, she opened the door reluctantly, only to be surprised by a familiar, dear face.

  “Paul?”

  “Eli… Can we talk?” Paul, with his shoulders hunched, looked nervous.

  “Of course. Come in”. Elizabeth let him inside, fully opening the door. Paul walked in straight to lean on the window. He looked at the sky, something roaming his mind.

  “I think I know how to find Alice. Without Airis”.

  “Hmmmm…” Elizabeth pondered the affirmation, searching for possibilities on her own. Something came to her head: “So do I. But let’s hear your idea”.

  “It’s easy. Since Alice is so strong, I can see the influence on her Stigma. Then Airis can track my unique Corruption signal.” Paul was so confident on himself, yet his explanation left much to be desired.

  Elizabeth, the person who knew him the most, was already aware of his intentions. Nevertheless, she still wanted to hear from the boy himself.

  “You’re right that Airis can locate you even here, since the source of your Corruption is so different from a Stigma. But I’m intrigued: where can you see her Stigma?” Elizabeth smirked, knowing full well the answer.

  “But you already know the place, Eli”.

  Paul pointed to the horizon, where only he could see how the sky split into jagged, glowing lines—like a mirror struck in its core.

  ” I only need to look at the Shattered Sky.”

  Hours later, around thirty minutes after the raid…

  Two girls ran through Vermillion City. They had managed to evade the raiders and now carefully wandered the streets, checking every corner and every path, aware of their enemies. Kana, exhausted, stopped for a second. Hands on her knees, she panted, trying to catch her breath. The neon signs of Vermillion flickered above them, casting eerie shadows on the empty streets—too empty for a city this size.

  “Come on, we have to keep searching” Lena urged her to quicken her rhythm.

  “Wait…please…” she continued struggling “This city is enormous; we are not going to find her like this”.

  “Tskk” Lena grinded her teeth, knowing that Kana was right. Lena had taken responsibility of the situation, yet the things she could do were so limited it made her blood boil. Without Airis, they were uncommunicated, unable to act. But luck would be on their side today.

  “Lena, Kana. I have located Airis” The electronic entity talked from nowhere, making the pair jump in scare.

  “Airis? How?” Lena asked first.

  “Thanks to doctor…—and Paul. They’ll explain later.”

  “Alright, give us Alice coordinates.” Lena ordered, wasting no time.

  Airis gave them the coordinates, designing a path for them. They would meet in a place called Burgundy Bridge. It was the main structure people used to cross the city’s river, which divided it in two. Apparently, Alice had been the entire time in that opposite side. The intelligence also created a specific path for the duo to rove. They would avoid the main streets of the city, short-cutting through a series of narrow roads in the inner suburbs. Logic was that, while it would be deadly in a possible ambush, the chance the enemy would protect that route was minimal. They were also informed about Elizabeth and Celine whereabouts, confirming their safety and the betrayal from the man called Poe. They would stay in the original half of the city, trusting Celine to secure the area, and stay coordinated via the updated Airis

  Lena and Kana accepted the plan and so headed to the suburbs. Contrasting with the main City, the suburbs were far darker, absent of the lights and neon. They consisted of small, brick houses, tightly packed along narrow streets, just wide enough for a car. It was already midnight, the Moon faintly illuminating the road, air howling on the walls. The scenery was so out of place in the never-sleeping Vermillion City.

  “This place gives me the chills” Kana, hugging herself, observed the urban surroundings with caution.

  “Don’t worry. We’re reaching the end—bridge is just ahead.” Lena led the way.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “How is Alice like?” The question took Lena by surprised. Seconds later, she recomposed, understanding the curiosity displayed. She lifted her eyes, observing the dark, star-less sky.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “She is… she has a quirky personality, let’s say”. Lena smiled, probably remembering old anecdotes.

  “Isn’t everyone in this team like that…?” Kana replied, sighing.

  “But she is caring, and reliable…—like an older sister.” Lena followed, ignoring the comments. “You just need to meet her to understand”.

  “I hope we meet her soon…” Kana hoped, yearning the encounter. She had been curious about that woman since she saw her nameplate in the ship.

  Their conversation was ended when Lena noticed the light of the city coming through the horizon. It was the end of the suburbs.

  “Finally, we’re almost there.” Lena claimed, relieved

  “Yes!”

  But, as everything that day, things were not going to be that easy. Next step, she saw it.

  “Get down!”

  Lena reacted instantaneously, grabbing Kana and pushing her behind the walls of a side alley. They could only see now a cloud of smoke, streaks of energy bullets cut through it. Lena had seen them in an instant, the same kind of soldiers that had raided the hotel, saved by her inhuman reflexes. They had been ambushed just before reaching their destination.

  “Kana. Run. I’ll stop them here” Lena ordered, unsheathing her casted rapier.

  “…” Kana hesitated, not wanting to leave her alone.

  “Prepare your gun, just in case, but run.” She ordered again, more energetically, decided to solve the situation.

  “But please, promise me you’ll be okay” Kana accepted, taking the alley.

  “Of course I will”

  Lena hardened her grip and exhaled, decided to act. Once Kana had disappeared in the shadows of the suburbs, she leapt sideways into the hell of bullets. With a single swing, her rapier released a Corruption slash that formed a protective arc, deflecting the projectiles, followed by a shockwave as it impacted the ground. She had managed to put herself in front of the attackers.

  “Who are you, scum?” She asked the men. There were six of them, all holding deadly corruption rifles, but although her question was loud and clear, she got no answer. She looked closely, observing the men’s equipment “Stigma Hunters?” A first idea roamed her mind. They had the weapons the Hunters would typically use, and their lack of uniform enforced the hypothesis. “But they don’t work in groups.” She realized, putting said hypothesis in question.

  “It’s okay, I don’t need to know who you are” She raised her voice. “I, Lariat Ehrenfest Nagelheim, the Crimson Witch of the Legion, will end you here” she stated, her name rolling off her tongue rhythmically.

  She deepened her stance. The soldiers reopened fire, aiming at the girl. With a quick jump, she easily dodged the bullets. Like an angel beneath the Moon, a second Corruption slash teared through the air, impacting the group and impeding vision through the risen dust. She graciously landed, tips first to set ground. A fast thrust took down the first soldier, five left.

  The group tried to take distance but were found cornered in the narrow walls of the suburbs, their weapons rendered useless against the inhuman reflexes of the witch. She locked her eyes in the next target, directing her rapier to the man’s heart. Four remaining, they tried to disperse.

  “Not as cocky now?” The thrill of battle taking possession of Lena, she unleashed a third slash, ripping three of them with one unique swing of her sword.

  One remaining, Lena walked elegantly, placing one foot in front of the next as she stepped, like a queen walking the royal carpet. The man stopped firing, once he realized it was useless. He revealed a knife and headed towards her. But it was useless, because her opponent was the Crimson Witch, and his destiny, her rapier.

  The six men defeated. Lena tried to shortly rest. But she had to stay there, because somewhere in the alleys, Kana was trying to escape and reach the bridge. And those six were nothing, but she could sense hundreds of enemies in the surroundings.

  Meanwhile, Kana cautiously wandered through the alleys, checking every corner. It was dark, her pupils dilated. Suddenly, she felt something in her back. It was a hard pain, travelling up to down, but so intense she felt like she was going to blow up, her heart racing wildly.

  “Aghhhhh” The pain was unbearable

  “Kana, are you ok? I’m detecting spikes in your Stigma signal” Airis checked on her. Kana fell, standing on her knees. She could no longer stand up, her back glowing intensely. “Wait, I detect enemies”.

  Kana turned around, only to see a man. One of the raiders, wielding a rifle, had managed to find her and evade Lena. She had been impacted directly in her back.

  “No… I can’t fall here…” Determination filling her mind, she managed to stand up again. Her Stigma was glowing, a warm light emanating from it. It formed a curious pattern—some kind of simplistic tree: it started from a base and with two lines formed two parallel lines, resembling the trunk. At the top, numerous curved lines branched out like a tree. It was the first time her Stigma had appeared clearly. It had protected her from the shot, blocking it, but in exchange it had finally manifested its true form.

  “It can’t be…” Even Airis, an artificial intelligence, was surprised. “Kana, your Stigma…”

  But it was not enough to stop the attacker. She ran desperately, sorting through the different exits, hoping to mislead the mindless man. But he was persistent, and although he couldn’t hit her again, it was not enough to make him give up.

  “Wait… The gun” Kana remembered her weapon. She thought of her trainings with Lena, trying to recall the mechanisms of the gun. Her Stigma had awakened, yet she hadn’t found any use other than protecting her back from a lethal shoot. She drew her handgun and with flexibility turned 180 degrees, facing the pursuer.

  “Get this!!!!” She shouted energetically as she unleashed her Corruption gun. Despite her efforts, nothing was released—she had not removed the safety catch. The man lifted his weapon, trying to engage into a shooting.

  “Wait wait…” Kana returned to running, quickly turning the corner. But in a great display of misfortune, she hit a dead end and pressed her back against the wall, aiming without success a gun that wouldn’t do anything, not realizing the source of the problems.

  The man stepped closer, full advantage. He slowly aimed at the girl, making sure it would be the last time he pulled the trigger. He was so close, then…

  “Not like this, girl.” A hand grabbed Kana’s from behind. Before she could react, the woman had flicked the safety off and taken the gun. In a matter of seconds, she positioned herself in front of the raider.

  The woman looked at a hand clock. “Just in time”, she mumbled. Before the man could pull the trigger, his head had already been pierced by the woman’s own trigger.

  Kana observed the woman. She was stunning. Delicate yet firm, hand resting on her waist, always smiling even during the short battle. She had some aura, one of those you could feel just from being near her. She was wearing strange clothes, tailored to her slender body, with vivid colours, her pink hair dancing with the wind along a golden clock that hanged from her free hand. She was taken straight out of a cartoon series.

  “Are you okey?” She gently asked the girl, Kana so stunned she couldn’t answer. Then a familiar voice arrived.

  “Kana? Thank goodness you are okey.” It was Paul, her good friend. He rushed to hug her, checking if she was injured shortly after.

  “I’m not injured… thank you, ehm….” Kana shyly thanked her saviour, not knowing yet her name.

  The mysterious woman chined her eyes at Paul when she let off Kana. She then stepped closer and looked at her clock, to save it again and warmly smile at Kana. Moonlight on her figure, the night echoing her words. She leaned to give the handgun back.

  “Alice. That’s my name.”