A steaming hot cartridge ejects itself from the top of Hiro's forearm as black smoke lingers in the air from where the projectile slug had incinerated synthetic fibers and alloys on impact. As it clears Hiro could see that Nequiv was still standing, albeit, it was unsteady and wobbling.

Through the lingering wisps of smoke, Hiro's eyes met Nequiv's. Confusion and surprise was plastered on Nequiv's face. Ironically, Hiro was just as surprised by what he himself had done.

Then Nequiv's face contorted into an angry snarl. The synthetic skin on Nequiv's face was pulled taut as he seethed with boiling rage.

“Yo-you dare fire at me?!” Nequiv roared.

Hiro flinched from the ear-deafening volume produced by Nequiv’s artificial voice. Then the panic began to set in as he realized the severity of his action. He had just opened fire on a fellow Augmented comrade. A highly esteemed Aug-smith of the Augmented Empire. His punishment would be grievous. Only the utmost vile execution would be reserved for him. But not before a grand Unaugmented ceremonial display was made of him first.

His action was tantamount to suicide. There was no going back now for Hiro.

“You imbecile,” Nequiv quivered with anger. “Have you any idea what you have done?!”

The doctor didn’t seem to be fazed by the smoking bullet hole in his back. One of his mechanical limbs seemed to be malfunctioning from the damage, but that didn’t seem to hinder the doctor. From below the waist, he still had three more mechanical limbs that seemed to be functioning smoothly.

Hiro mentally pulled the trigger seven times consecutively without pause. Neurons fired off within his neural circuitry, then instantaneously processed by his Neural Firmware which effectively did all the work. Within a split-second he began unloading a barrage of incendiary slugs at the limping doctor.

Nequiv was already in motion, leaping from wall to wall like an insect with his sleek and pronged metallic limbs.

Hiro was surprised. More than he would like, as he processed the information he had observed.

Nequiv was susceptible to damage. He had expected that an Aug-smith of his caliber would be near invulnerable, but perhaps the doctor had not expected to engage in any form of combat. No one would dare attack him, and he was confined within the walls of his lab, not on the battlefield. Although Hiro had managed to land a surprise shot, it was clearly not enough to outright kill him, but it was enough to damage his neural circuitry, effectively crippling his one of his Augmented limbs at least. Despite this, the doctor, even with his remaining Augmented lance-limbs, was still astonishingly nimble.

Hiro did his best to keep his auxiliary wrist-cannon trained on the scampering half-man and insectoid machine as he unloaded projectile slugs one after another. He could barely feel the recoil from firing his auxiliary wrist-cannon. Most of it was dampened by the mechanisms built into his arm. All of his years of cadet school, and military field-training since he was a child was put into work. But even with highly disciplined markmanship and near flawless mechanical reflexes, Hiro could not land a single clean shot on the doctor. Shot after shot impacted against the back wall of the lab creating an explosion of sparks and black smoke.

“Who sent you?” Nequiv was latched onto the ceiling now as he questioned Hiro. “Which House do you belong to?”

Hiro quickly contemplated his options. He wasn’t landing any more shots on Nequiv other than his first and ammunition was limited. Quickly, he eyed the display modular on the back of his wrist. Twelve more shots left, Hiro noted. He needed to somehow immobilize the doctor. Suddenly, Hiro recalled the words that the Aug-Tech Buford had told him.

‘Additionally, each limb has an Augmentation capacity of two. Sir, you can select which auxiliary enhancements you desire later on, but for now you’ve been equipped with the default enhancements which are…’

Hiro looked up and locked eyes with the doctor. “Which House do you think?” he asked as he spared a brief second to bemoan his lost opportunity.

The default auxiliary enhancements and add-ons were lacking to say the least. Grappling Extensors in each arm, electric taser, and finally, the only lethal auxiliary, the wrist-cannon. If he had taken the time, he was sure he could have gotten something useful or even devastating if he recalled the plethora of advanced-grade Augmentations he had seen in military field manuals. Time also wasn’t on Hiro’s side, he had to act quickly. So far the doctor had not bothered to call for reinforcements, but if he did then Hiro’s fate would be sealed.

“House Stiel?” Nequiv ventured a guess. “I wouldn’t put it past them. They are sly, wretched, cunning thieves.”

“Perhaps?” Hiro said ambiguously.

“No, they wouldn’t be that foolish. It must have been House Ireaud. They are as foolish as they are ambitious. Only they would be desperate enough to resort to such depraved conduct.”

Hiro blinked his eyes at the doctor innocently. “You don’t say? I mean, I guess they are a bunch of assholes.”

“Enough of this,” Nequiv frowned. “I had my suspicions when I first saw you. Who are you really? Do you really think you can-”

Hiro’s wrist-cannon snapped upwards at the doctor before firing another projectile slug.

Nequiv skittered aside, avoiding the projectile with ease, then laughed. “Did you really think that would-”

Another explosive boom resounded through the room as Hiro fired again, and again.

As Nequiv evaded the projectiles, he found himself being forced closer and closer towards Hiro.

Still firing without pause, Hiro quickly leaped upwards hoping to catch Nequiv by surprise. Still unaccustomed to his new augmented limbs, and without any prior testing at all, Hiro had miscalculated the explosive strength of his legs. Instead of soaring in an arc towards Nequiv, he simply shot upwards headfirst into the ceiling of the compact lab. Just before colliding, Hiro had a flash of brilliance, an almost instinctive reaction. He began to reorient himself in midair as he whipped his free hand forward as if reaching for purchase. Hiro's hand ejected itself from his wrist, a metallic cable trailing it as it flew past a startled Nequiv before latching onto a bundle of free-hanging electrical cables.

Suddenly, Hiro was hurtling through the air towards a startled Nequiv.

Nequiv had watched Hiro--no, he wasn’t even sure if Hiro was really his name--nearly face-plant the ceiling in some amateurish stunt-like jump. It was a bizarre sight and almost comical to watch, but Nequiv had decided to end this farce. Still latched onto the ceiling with prehensile mechanical limbs, Nequiv had charged forward towards the assassin of unknown affiliation, ready to disassemble this Augmented fool part by part until he spilled everything he knew. It was at that precise moment--much to Nequiv’s surprise--that Hiro had suddenly expertly maneuvered himself from a collision with the ceiling to a imminent crash course with the doctor himself.

Hiro’s mechanically augmented body crashed into Nequiv's surprisingly light body despite the numerous mechanical limbs, and dislodged the doctor from the ceiling and into free-fall. He could feel the doctor struggling incessantly as his limbs flailed against Hiro's back struggling to prod and tear him off. Hiro held on for dear life, as his arms wrapped around Nequiv's sleek mechanical body.

They fell as a tangle of limbs in the air wrestling for dominance.

Suddenly, just as they hit the floor, there was an audible crackle of static electricity, a brief surge of neon-blue and the sound of convulsing.

All movement ceased.

Hiro groaned inwardly as he sniffed burnt synthetic fibers and circuitry. Then he began to move, removing his glowing blue finger from the bullet hole in Nequiv's back, then clambering off of the motionless doctor.

Did I get him?

To his dismay, Nequiv's mechanical limbs whirled to life. A razor-sharp limb snapped up and stabbed at his eye. Hiro batted it aside with his backhand, then aimed his wrist-cannon at Nequiv's face.

“Don't move. The next one will take your head off.”

Euna followed the line of villagers, going through a maze of winding trees until everything gave way to a large clearing of grass and exotic flowers in full bloom. A single Behemoth tree stood out in the centre, where a gathering of over a hundred were already present. She eyed the villagers warily. She knew them all. Maybe not by name, but by face. They were her family after all, and so was Vale.

Thinking of Vale, she recalled the brief conversation she had with the faceless voice.

‘A simulation,’ it had said.

The word haunted her mind.

Then just as suddenly as it came, the faceless voice had disappeared. The translucent film falling away to reveal Vale’s concerned face.

‘What’s wrong Euna?’ Vale had asked.

‘No-nothing.’

Euna had quickly composed herself and told him she had to go.

Vale had taken off, leaping off into freefall as he always did before unfurling his black wings.

Now Euna was standing among the gathered, listening in to the small talk made between the villagers as she steered her gaze among the crowd warily. The thought of someone suddenly turning into the faceless void constantly lingered at the edge of her mind. Above the din of incessant chattering and laughter, Euna could still hear Lyria’s singing voice. Her eyes fell to the Behemoth tree in the centre.

Perched delicately on a massive root, near the base of the tree, was Lyria. The Siren. The singer with a voice of an angel.

Euna’s eyes met Lyria’s and the singer waved enthusiastically.

Euna smiled and waved back in exchange.

It was then, that the crowd began to quiet. She looked up and saw her father swooping down from the skies. He was unmistakable with his golden mane, and crimson wings. Following behind closely, was his retinue of council members who helped him govern the village. There were eight of them in total, including Vale who was easily the youngest.

The village chief raised his arm, calling for attention and silence.

“Good evening my fellow Altereds. First of all, please excuse my tardiness,” Regulus bowed deeply to the villagers who forgave him with a bright smile and a chuckle. “Today, is a very special day,” Regulus beckoned with a wave of his hand and a couple stepped away from the crowd.

A man and women stood on each side of the village chief with gentle smiles on their faces.

“We will be celebrating the life and departure of Erika and Javier,” the village chief announced proudly.

The villagers applauded and shouted their support in harmony.

Euna watched as Erika and Javier, her teachers of botany when she was younger, stepped forward and began to tell their story.

By the time they had finished, the sun was hidden underneath the mountainous horizon and only a sliver of sunlight spilled forth into the looming night sky.

“From the earth we rise, and to the earth we return. Let our farewells be brief as we will meet again,” Regulus announced with deep solemnity in his voice. “Let this ending be the birth of new beginnings.”

Lyria sang. She sang and sang, her song never ending. A melody to mourn the passing, to remember the living and to celebrate the coming of new life.

A farewell ceremony for an Altered who had chosen to return to the land.

Euna cried as she watched her teachers slowly turn to ashes, but as she turned around, she saw smiles. Although there were tears, there was also happiness. She didn’t understand.

Then she saw.

As the ashes seeped into the earth, flowers began to sprout. Taller and more vibrant.

Suddenly, Euna’s world began to spin. She fell onto her knees as a wave of nausea assaulted her mind. Day turned to night over and over again in a blink of an eye. People came and went, flowers bloomed and wilted. It all happened so fast it became a blur to her eyes.

“Euna!”

A familiar voice shouted.

“Eunaaa!”

Again.

The world stopped spinning.

Underneath the tree, amidst a bed of exotic flowers was a translucent shell. It pulsated, beating like a heart.

Suddenly, a man appears in the distance. Black hair, dark eyes, and limbs that had glowing blue lines running through them in a strange, complex pattern. He turned his head in confusion and distraught, then spotted Euna. He began running towards her.

“Euna!” he shouted again. “I’m sorry!”

Euna blinked, but suddenly found it hard to open her eyes. Something wet and sticky kept her eyes closed. Despite this, she could still see Hiro running, trampling over the flowers as he made his way towards her.

She tried to speak but couldn’t breathe. Suddenly her world turned black.

She felt something cold and metallic brush over her eyes gently. She could open her eyes now, and when she did, she saw that she was no longer in her village. Pristine white walls surrounded her. Mechanical prehensile arms dangled from the ceiling as metallic cables ran along the walls like vines. Looming over her was a man. Although he looked different and had limbs now, she could still immediately recognize his face. It was a weird face.

“Hi-hiro?”