The breaking dawn illuminated the morning sky above Genesis, bringing into view the fallout of the previous night's battles. A palpable calm swept over the surrounding area, while the village seemed wide awake. Villagers worked in teams to clear the rubble from damaged buildings, while stall attendants in the streets handed out food, and bandaged warriors left the infirmary.

Within the medical center were Rami and Aram sleeping at a small table, and in a room, Gareth standing by Lucan. Roland oversaw the GSO's retrieval of what they could find of the fallen, guiding a team to identify who they could. The sight reminded him of the battlefield, or more precisely, that of an enemy invasion.

Arriving in Lucan's room, Roland passed by Gareth, who was on the way out with his head turned, as if to hide his expression. The old warrior took a seat, leaning forward with his fingers interlocked tightly. While he observed his friend, an earlier sight replayed in his mind: though they were covered in sheets, he felt as if each body he had seen was staring at him directly. His countenance shifted as his mind entangled in a flurry of emotions, most significant being concern and guilt.

He wrestled reluctantly with thoughts of where the responsibility for this disaster fell; while he acknowledged the correlation between his comrades' decisions and the series of events that led to this unfortunate circumstance, he felt personal responsibility for not keeping a watchful eye as it unfolded. While a respected warrior needed not to become the guardian angel for his capable brothers in arms, he was aware of the risks of their undertaking.

"Just as this is done for the sake of improving our standing and way of life. We need this.”

His teeth were grit in rage when he thought of Silas' words. "Of course, the blame falls squarely with him for inviting in our good-for-nothing lord mayor and initiating this fool's errand," he thought. "Blinded by greed to impress the 'noble' lords of Egeria at the cost of a few lives they couldn't be bothered to be concerned for."

The look on Silas' face when confronted left Roland absolutely livid, so much so the image seemed to have burned itself permanently into his mind. It was then an intrusive thought appeared, bringing his anger to its height until it was replaced by deepening guilt.

"Your misguided pride isn’t worth making the village suffer.”

With Lucan waking up, all thoughts and reflection left him, and he stood to greet his friend. The well-rested fighter slowly sat up in his bed, wiping his eyes to clear his vision. A cough escaped him and he cleared his throat, after which he turned, and after several blinks, saw Roland nearby.

"Seems death is not yet ready for you, my friend."

"Well good. Otherwise, if it was left up to the rest of you, the village would be in flames."

The two shared a laugh until silence returned to the room. Lucan's eyes were filled with contemplation, and he soon turned again to address Roland. Clutching his sheets tightly, he took a pause as he sought the right words.

"How many, Roland?"

"Lucan-"

"I need to know the cost of our endeavor."

He began coughing heavily, stopping Roland from assisting him when he came close.

"Save your energy, Lucan. Focus on your recovery."

~X~

Gathered outside the medical center were II and III discussing the mission details, while VI analyzed III’s orb. Within relative proximity, Galen's vehicle appeared in the sky. After slowing down, it entered a mode that caused it to hover in the air.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. We've made it."

Auriel looked around, seeing only the vast sky, and gave him a look of confusion.

"Uhh... Made it where?"

"Genesis. Or at least, close enough. Time to go!"

"WAIT go wher-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the aircraft ejected them both through the bottom. Galen quickly caught the astonished Auriel by the arm to prevent her from falling. She looked up to see him floating with a translucent aura around him.

"What the hell!"

"Ah, my bad. I'm usually flying with the others. Automatic reflex, you see," stated Galen in a singsong way. "Don't worry though, the uniform you're wearing has aura-flight capabilities."

"Is there a reason you decided that we needed to abandon a PERFECTLY NORMAL WAY of getting to the ground?!"

"Hmm... I figured we'd take the stylish way down. Let's go!"

When he activated one of her uniform's shoulder boards, she became enclosed in a light yellowish aura that allowed her to float. She struggled to orient herself as she descended slowly, but he helped her get her bearings. The two descended in a swift nosedive until reorienting once more to land on their feet. Instead of the village, they arrived at an old temple, the very same where Auriel first met with Rami and Aram.

"Why are we here?" she asked, as Galen walked towards the entrance.

Initially lost in thought, he was quiet for a moment until he answered back, "For your first steps, follow me now!" and promptly proceeded into the temple.

"Wait, why are you going in there? What's in there??"

"You'll have to see!" echoed loudly as the briskly walking Galen trudged further in.

Annoyed and confused, she followed, though the moment she set foot inside, she felt an intense sensation resonating within her. While she had never set foot inside during the mission, nor even been in close proximity to it before that day, she suddenly felt an unknown closeness, almost akin to nostalgia. Reluctant to continue, she stopped. A light seemed to be emitted from inside, revealed to be Galen throwing circular, brightly glowing orbs throughout to brighten the temple.

"There's nothing to fear, Auriel. We'll be there soon."

"Where is there?" she wondered.

An innate apprehension made her consider leaving. She barely knew this enigmatic gentleman, and though she was appreciative of being taken care of medically, in consideration of the circumstances, she couldn't help being wary. Not to mention what appeared to be a gut feeling, her very instincts screaming at her to stay away. Despite all that, however, she continued walking nonetheless.

As they made their way lower into underground chambers down serpentine stairs, Auriel glanced at the tattered walls covered in murals depicting scenes from ancient times. Most had deteriorated with the passing of time, with only fragmented sections remained relatively visible and open for interpretation. Despite the ruined state of the depictions, she could make out the clearly evident appearance of the Fractured.

Mankind's eternal enemy was truly persistent.

Bothered by the silence, she decided to inquire of Galen about his intentions.

"So, are you gonna tell me the real reason we're here?"

"I already did. Your first steps."

"What does that mean exactly? Steps towards what?" she queried.

"A locked door. You've got the key after all. You gotta, 'open' your mind a little. Get it?" He laughed loudly at his own joke.

"Are you joking or are you serious? You sound like you're being intentionally vague."

"Who me?" he asked playfully. "Never!"

"That tone of voice? Not helping."

"Oh come now, you're playing along with this game too aren't you?"

"I'm serious!" she pleaded.

Stopping on the bottom step at the end of a carved flight of stairs, Galen turned to Auriel, staring at her momentarily. Behind his mask, his eyes glowed goldenly as he lowered his eyelids in discernment.

"Hmm... To be honest with you, it's a weird story that's a little convoluted for my taste," he remarked while making sweeping gestures with both arms. "But! The short answer is that there's something we can do for you, and in exchange, something you can do for us."

Auriel looked puzzled, her countenance shifting as she sensed her apprehension returning.

"Let's walk and talk," he suggested and continued onward.

"What exactly do you want from me?" asked a cautious Auriel, taking her time to secure her footing on each step as the ground became more treacherous. "And what could you do for me? I don't think we know each other well enough."

"How about a guessing game. How many realms do think exist outside of Avernus?"

"Uhh... 3? 4?" she guessed with uncertainty.

"Oh wow, close!"

"Was I really?"

"No."

Auriel pouted at his set up, as he continued shooting light orbs into spots ahead of them to illuminate the way.

"There are quite a few other realms out there, all with one major problem in common. Which brings us to the next question! You've seen a glimpse of my organization and met my operatives. What exactly do you think we do?"

"From seeing III in action, fight the Fractured?" she replied.

"Ding ding ding! Right again!" Galen said gleefully while clapping his hands. Auriel seemed bothered by his energetic movements.

"Now for the last question. If you put the two together, what do you get?"

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you fight the Fractured across the realms?"

"That's a bingo! You're good at this."

"But they're pretty huge aren't they? Why not just let people handle their own realms? It can't be possible for your group to take on all those monsters."

"Well, you're not wrong, but we've got something important!" He waved an index finger to emphasize his point. "Information. Even on these dirty, dilapidated walls is information from the past guiding the future. Now tell me, what do you know of what it's like in the realms outside of this one? Besides the Fractured being a thing, of course."

She took her time to answer, as she thought long and hard about what to say. She came up with a blank.

"I actually... haven't been anywhere else. I think my family immigrated here from another realm, but I was a baby at the time."

"I see. In that case, consider this: in the present day, a chasm exists between those able to live comfortably, protected from apparent dangers, and those who cling fervently to the smallest chance at life, despite exposure to the same dangers. Not everyone has access to resources or abilities to deal with the common problem. That's where we step in."

They came to the bottom of the stairs. Before moving forward, the extroverted Galen stopped her at the entrance to a large chamber. With a larger orb he kept in one of his palms, the outgoing and enigmatic man lit the way into the dark chamber, stopping when they reached the apparent middle. In the faint light, Auriel's expression seemed to suggest she was even more lost in understanding than when they began. The two stood face to face, the orb of light bouncing and stretching their shadows far in the darkness.

"So you guys fight the Fractured. What does that have to do with me?"

"I know what happened before you came to us, and I must say, you did impressive work. You're just the type we're looking for!"

He gave a thumbs up with his free hand, but she turned away.

"Not likely. You don't know how difficult it was for me last night, and if anything, the last Fractured showed me I was way out of my league." She looked directly at him, with unwavering eyes. "Besides, I'm not a wielder."

"And therein lies the crux of your dilemma. You're not a wielder. Yet."

Auriel squinted at him in suspicion, and Galen tilted his head from side to side in apparent amusement. His golden mask seemed almost malevolently mischievous in the warm flicker of his orb, which he made float directly above their heads.

"Y' see I've learned that when driven to act, we're confronted by two specific 'p' words. One is power, the other is perspective," he gestured with both hands to represent the concepts. "From your current standing, though I don't have all the info, I can guess which influenced your choices at an early age, leading you to the here and now."

"What are you getting at?" Auriel quipped in a challenging tone.

"There's no need to hide it," he asserted, pointing at her hands. "I've already seen the Mark of the Recusant. You've been through quite a lot, haven't you?"

Auriel's heart sank as she heard the words. Even when not used in malice, the mention of the word made her physically uncomfortable, leading to a sudden shiver. With a swift grasp, Galen held her by the wrist, hovering a hand over hers.

"What are you-"

She struggled to pull back her arm, when her glove gave way and the mark became clearly visible, which he inspected closely. It was comprised of an intricate 5-pointed star, adorned with small x's at each point and thorns stretching from a central word.

"Heretic?" He wondered.

Letting go of Auriel's arm, Galen rested his chin against his knuckles.

"Seen enough?" she voiced moodily.

"Oh yes. Now, to wrap things up, here's where we come in. With the wealth of knowledge we've built up over the years, we can no doubt make short work of that pesky little sigil. Let's make that one a freebie, on account of you being so calm and understanding."

"That right?" she replied snidely.

"Call it a gift in good faith. Now, this next one will be entirely up to you. As I mentioned earlier, we have these peculiar 'p' words that drive us. 'Power' doesn't necessarily have anything to do with being 'illuminated' or not, but if that's the path you're going down, then I suppose we can lend a helping hand, so to speak. The 'perspective' will come with time, regardless of whether or not we have a hand in it. And finally, while we can't choose which one works best for you, we can provide a third 'p' word instead."

"And what's that?"

"Purpose."

With a raise of his hand, the orb floating above them shot upwards, striking and illuminating a beautiful mural that stretched over the entirety of the ceiling. It depicted several humanoids in a circle reaching their hands out towards a glowing woman in the center. She held to her chest a crown with a large jewel at the center, emitting rays of light towards the beings. The chamber filled with light as Galen threw more orbs into the corners.

"As you can probably tell from the painting, togetherness was very important to our ancestors. Even in the most divisive of times, and especially against the Fractured, they united for the sake of the realms. That's what we're after. With things as they are these days, the realms will surely be tested, and will have to learn to come together again."

A speechless Auriel gazed at the painting in awe and wonder. She couldn't help smiling at its magnificence and felt at ease in that chamber, completely opposite the feeling she encountered when first entering. A thought occurred to her, and she gazed at Galen, coming up with her next question.

"You seem to care a lot. Why go so far out your way for other realms?"

"Let's just say the angel on my shoulder does a little more than give decent advice. Anyway, with that little lesson over with, let's head to the village for real this time."

"Alright."

As the pair departed, the young warrior's mind was occupied, working desperately to make sense of everything she had learned. With each step towards the surface, she considered Galen's argument and offer. The murals were literal testaments in stone of the realms' shared history, one that in part seemed to still affect the present. Then offering to provide her with everything she sought. It seemed too good to be true and more so incredibly convenient. Perhaps it was just a mild caveat, that in exchange for reaching her goals, she needed to serve time in the cryptic Galen's personal army to prepare for an impending disaster. The thought caused her to reflect on her current life. It was relatively quiet and simplistic, and above all else, safe. She needed to err on the side of caution and consider the situation in its entirety, instead of jumping at the opportunity.

~X~

As the duo walked up, waiting close by the entrance of the medical center were II, III, and VI, as well as Roland who had exited, with Rami and Aram in tow. A surprised III quickly turned and went to address her leader. She saluted quickly, then with a cheesy grin turned to Auriel.

"Well, look at you! Here I was worried, and you've got the uniform and everything already. That didn't take too long."

"Trust me, I didn't have much of a selection to choose from. And don't go deciding things for me."

She waved her off “Alright, alright.”

Auriel reached out to shake her hand, with a sincere smile on her face.

“Thanks for taking care of things here. For saving me too, but no more unsolicited flying, okay?”

A quick laugh erupted, followed by, “We’ll see. Oh, by the way, they are II and VI," III gestured to her teammates.

“More numbers huh.”

Passing by her, Galen met Roland in the middle, while the rest watched. The air around the two became tense, but then Roland spoke first.

“So they’re your comrades. And I see your style hasn’t changed at all.”

“And I see that time hasn’t been your friend. Seriously, you look like you took the worse part of a century to the face.”

“Well unlike you, we can’t all stay in diapers. Being a responsible adult, you should try it sometime.”

Laughter erupted from the two, calming everyone around them. They briefly hugged and shook hands, with Roland smiling widely.

“Fair enough, old man.”

“Now, I imagine that you being here personally means you have something important to discuss.”

“Correct.”

~X~

The group convened in a conference room at the council building. Having checked on the kids at the orphanage, Auriel was greeted by Roland, joining the others in the room.

"Welcome back!" Galen exclaimed with a clap of his hands.

“Now that we are all gathered here, I’d like to officially introduce the members of the Astral Prime Unit, my organization's more capable group of wielders. II is our current team leader, there's our solo field agent III, and of course, there’s number VI, researcher. Don’t be shy you two, feel free to unmask if you’d like. Or stay helmeted, up to you.”

II stepped forward, pressing a button on the side of her helmet that retracted and folded in her mask, revealing long, white dreadlocks that reached to the middle of her back. Her umber skin’s reddish-brown tone complimented her brown eyes with amber rings, brought out in the stray light from the window. Following suit, VI undid her helmet as well, showing instead short straight brunette hair with subtle streaks of lilac, a tawny, yellowish-brown complexion, and light, almost silver-blue eyes. They both greeted Roland properly.

"So, Galen," began Roland, "To what do we owe your presence here, and that of your group? Is there something we need to know?"

"There always is, old friend. I wager you already know what we are about. However, concerning our presence here, it just so happened that there was an overlap with another interest we couldn't ignore.”

"What’s the interest in here then?” asked Auriel.

“A few days ago, a strange wave of energy was emitted from this village, one that densely surrounds the area even now. We couldn't find a match for it, but we knew we needed to track it down.”

“Did it come from that Alpha Fractured?" Roland questioned. "It seemed most unusual.”

“Not exactly…" III responded. "It came from a person. Someone we needed to find as quickly as possible.”

“Did you find them then?”

“I’m looking right at them,” she stated while turning her gaze.

Auriel looked puzzled and took a step back.

“Uh, what?? No no no. You’ve got it wrong.”

II nodded to VI, who tossed III's orb to Auriel. When she caught it, a light began to shine as it overflowed with energy.

“Have we?" mused VI. "That's a detector we've been using to narrow down the location of the source.”

“This. This can’t real!” The energy overflowing from the orb wrapped itself lovingly on her hands.

Her mind was swimming with ideas and thoughts, as her world completely changed at that very moment. The sensation she felt earlier, was even more pronounced now that she held tightly onto the orb.

"Yet it is," said Galen as he walked towards her. Roland stepped up to stand between them, but the commander held out his hand to cut him off.

"Hold on, wait a moment. What are you trying to say?” Roland asked in desperation.

“So curious, isn’t it? Almost paradoxical. Written off as just another lightless at a young age, yet hiding such a wondrously potent, and even more so volatile ability, unknowingly from the looks of it. For us to come across her is nothing short of serendipity. Curious indeed."

"Galen!"

“It’s not true right? It can’t be true.”

"You knew, didn't you? Gives me an idea bout the abnormal nature of that mark. A disappearing sigil with that much work put into it. Roland, have you really not told her?”

"That's not something to be discussed, and this is neither the time nor place!"

An expression of disbelief was clear on her face, mixed in with confusion as she looked to Roland, shaking her head. Her countenance shifted as her thoughts became focused into one emotion: anger.

“You knew about this?!” she yelled furiously. “Say something!”

With eyes averted, he made an effort but was ultimately unable to find a proper response. He merely stood in the shame of his silence. He saw the palpable disappointment in her eyes.

“This whole time! You knew!”

Not making eye contact with his protege, Roland turned instead to Galen. "So is this what you came here for?"

“Not quite. I've had a discussion with young Auriel concerning an offer. I've come to see if she will now take it."

"And what offer is that?"

"For her to join us at Astral, of course! With this revelation, no doubt she can-"

“I… don’t know how all of this works," interjected Auriel, "and I’m not sure I even fully understand what you’re getting at. I’m not the one you’re looking for...”

Handing him the orb, she turned to leave, when she was confronted by II.

“Yet we know you are. It would be beneficial for all parties involved if you stopped being so stubborn.”

Infuriated at being reprimanded by someone she didn't even know, she snapped back.

“So what, I should just pack up my things and leave everything behind to join your group just because I have some weird power that might be beneficial to you?”

Galen stepped in, hoping to calm the situation, stating “What number II is trying to say, is-”

“Yes, that’s right,” said II, cutting him off.

Auriel glared fiercely.

“Now listen here-

“No, you listen. You may have not pieced it together, but your bursts of energy are exactly what brought the Fractured to this near defenseless little village. Staying here makes you a threat to everyone, and next time we might not make it to protect everyone. So, unless you want the blood of those kids on your hands-”

Gritting her teeth, Auriel made a fist as she reached her boiling point.

“… You’ll come with us.”

Unable to hold back much longer, she threw a fast punch at II, but she caught it immediately, holding tightly onto her fist. Their eyes met: Auriel’s filled with passionate fury and II’s with unbothered disdain. Galen put a hand on the unit leader's tense shoulder.

“That’s enough.”

“Hmph.”

When II let go of Auriel's fist, she ran outside, slamming the door behind her. Roland went to speak with her, but Galen stopped him with a gentle grab of the shoulder.

~X~

Auriel lied on her back in the soft grass on the hill overlooking the West District, watching the small wisps of clouds pass by above. She soon saw a familiar-looking shape that appeared to take notice of her as well, falling slowly and landing close by. The figure walked over.

“So you can fly now? Really are a witch huh?”

“Nah," she replied with a chuckle, then pointed to her star. "It’s no broomstick, but it’ll do. How are you holding up?”

“I'm okay. It’s just a lot to process all at once. Fighting a dozen Fractured, getting recruited by some strange man, then finding out I'm a wielder. I feel like my head’s gonna explode, y’know?”

Moving the hair out of her face, she sighed.

"Probably way too late to do anything about it."

“I know how you feel, I’ve been there. Takes some time to sort everything out.”

“You mean, you have it too?”

III’s eyes glowed as she focused wind in her hand in the form of a mini-tornado.

“Well, maybe not the same type as yours, but I know the feeling of being a late bloomer. Took some time learning the ropes, but I got it down. You can too.” She promptly closed her hand, and the mini vortex disappeared.

“Right. Also. Is it true? What she said,” queried Auriel, sitting up.

“She could have been nicer about it, but yeah, pretty much.”

“So… it’s my fault then," she stated in melancholy. "I'm guessing there are a ton of people like me that make this job so hard for you guys. Maybe that's what he was getting at in the temple.”

Seeking to cheer her up, III put a hand on her shoulder.

“Not exactly. I'm guessing he was doing the 'save the realms' pitch huh? Your situation is a bit different, but the danger will always be there. That's why we pick up the slack, for the ones who can't. And for you, blaming yourself for something you didn't know won't get you anywhere, trust and believe.”

“So what do I do then? If I’m really responsible for this, then no one is safe with me around. But I can’t just leave the kids. I can’t just leave everything. Ugh! What to do!”

Standing, III brushed the grass away.

"I’m sure we’ll find a way that’ll work out, okay?” She offered her hand in turn to her new friend. "Won’t be easy, but we’ll get there.”

“Thanks, really.”

Accepting the hand and standing, Auriel smiled briefly, nodding in reception of III's words, as her mood seemed to improve. She joined III walking down the hill, a renewed pep in her steps.

“Things have been so weird lately. Besides all the crazy stuff that went on, I’m mostly surprised by how we sound like best friends already. Might as well tell each other our deepest darkest secrets.”

“Oh, we aren’t quite there yet, you’ll have to try harder than that."

“Ouch, I guess I will then.”

~End of Chapter~

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