AN: I need to edit this still I think, but I’m super busy today. I’ll do it sometime tonight.
— — —
It was only once we got home that I finally relaxed. Our apartment was close to the riots that’d risen up in the east, but even that couldn’t take away the sheer relief at finally being back home.
Sylvie bolted past me and jumped onto the couch. I turned back toward Quinn, who’d stopped at the door. “You can come in, you know?”
”I… I know.” Quinn rested her hand on the doorframe and shook her head. “I’ve got some people I need to meet tonight.”
”Quinn… Did you go back to your dad?” Although she looked better than usual, and actually sober, there was a weight to her shoulders that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Not to mention we were driven around all day by a private chauffeur in a ridiculously nice SUV. Guardians were paid well, but that well?
That wasn’t even mentioning private security everywhere. Those civilians I thought were Hades enforcers back at the hospital? I spotted them around Harbor as well, with a leader talking to Quinn. According to Sylvie, who hadn’t hesitated to throw her under the bus, they were all hired by the Guardian to give us space.
Quinn flinched, and let go of the doorframe. “Don’t worry about it, Reyna. It’s just going on a few dates for my allowance back. No biggie. I wanted this, anyway.”
”Why don’t I believe you?” If she really wanted it, she could look me in the eyes when she spoke instead of staring at the floor like a kicked dog.
”Shaton’s nice, at least.” She shrugged. “Probably would have liked him had the circumstances been different.”
Why? Before the expedition, she was all up in arms about refusing and not going through with it. Was it for the credits? “Did you do it because of—?“
”No, not because of you.” She looked up, and her glowing blue eyes met mine. “Seeing you there, stuck in a coma… I just figured it’s time I grew up, isn’t it?”
Grow up? Really? Could a Guardian, who went into battle every time knowing that she was potentially sacrificing her life in the defense of others, really say something like that? “You grew up in the academy, Quinn.”
”Like I said, I wanted this.” She patted my shoulder lightly, and pulled away. “Now, have a good night, ‘kay? It’s your first night back, so don’t take it for granted.”
”I won’t.” I stepped forward, and hugged her tightly. The Guardian tensed up for a moment before returning my embrace. “You have a good night, too.”
”It’d be hard not to after that.” She grinned and playfully grabbed the tip of my swishing tail. The dreariness that’d been around her since we left Harbor finally started to fade. “Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll come pick you up for work in a couple days.”
”Are we not meeting at the HQ like usual?” Sure I’d been gone for a while, but surely I wasn’t gone long enough for that to change. Bureaucrats were slower to change than even the seasons.
”No. Um, ask Sylvie about it. She really wants to tell you.” Although Quinn framed it like that, she couldn’t hide the vicious streak in her eyes as she took her turn to throw my sister under the bus. “Night! Love you.”
“Love you too.” I closed the door, and my head lightly thumped against the wood. What was with all the secrecy? I was fine with it for a bit, but it really got old fast, didn’t it?
”Is the witch gone?” Sylvie called from the living room.
“You really should be nicer to her, Sylvie.” I turned on her without any hesitation. She was sprawled out on the couch with her legs kicking over the armrest. “She’s my best friend… and she took care of you while I couldn’t.”
”Would’ve been fine by myself,” my stubborn little sister muttered, though her legs stopped kicking.
“Then should I have not come back?” I set Vigil down on the back of the couch where he’d have a good view.
”No!” Sylvie shot to her feet, and raced around to me. She directly latched onto my tail, and hugged it tightly to her chest. “Don’t even joke about that, big sis… I’ll treat her better, okay?”
”Good.” I pushed down the pang of guilt that welled up in me. Using my absence as a threat felt incredibly low. The guilt even soured getting her to agree with me. “Quinn said you had something to tell me?”
Sylvie’s expression froze, and instantly soured. She let go of my tail, and turned away from me so I couldn’t see her face. “She tell you that before flying away on her broom?”
”Sylvie…”
“Okay, okay…” Sylvie grabbed my hand and pulled me around to the couch, where she forced me to sit. She stood in the middle of the living room for a moment before looking up to meet my eyes. “Promise you won’t freak out?”
”What could you possible show me to make me freak—“
A glow erupted from the top of her head just behind her adorable wolf ears, and instantly made me go silent. The golden glow condensed into a ring floating there. Inside of it were dozens of small candles flickering with light. Sylvie scratched at her cheek. “So… I awakened.”
“Sylvie!” I shot to my feet and pulled her into a hug while spinning around. She promised she would, ‘course, but never in a million years did I actually expect it to happen! “I’m so proud of you!”
”Heh, thanks, sis.” The halo abruptly cut out, and she snuggled into my embrace. There was still a faint heaviness in her eyes that didn’t fade. “I was worried you wouldn’t take it well.”
”Of course I’d take it well! Oh, my little sister’s an Awoken!” I collapsed back onto the couch with her. I was still smiling when it hit me again. She was an Awoken. She wasn’t my safe, protected little sister anymore. I tried not to let the sudden anxiety show on my face. “When’d it happen?”
”About a week after the Awakening Ceremony.” Her head dipped, and she didn’t meet my eyes. “When the expedition got back without you. They called it a late bloom awakening…”
”Still, I’m proud of you, sis.” She was looking particularly glum, so I tickled her sides to get her to think about something else. The gloom faded as we playfully fought.
At the end of it all, I wound up letting her pin me at the last possible moment. She was still a decade too early if she wanted to win legitimately. Maybe when she got trained to be a Guardian, she’d have a chance. Even then, though, I was top of the class when it came to close combat back then.
Eventually, she moved off me and dropped down onto the opposite side of the couch. A comfortable silence filled the air for a few moments. “So? What’s your ability?”
”Last Light.” The halo popped back out, and the golden glow returned to light up our dim living room. “Um… I can use hope to cast magic.”
“That…” Sounded really simple? Knowing how Awoken worked, though, it was probably anything but. “Like an Arcanist?”
”No? I’m not too sure either. The UCS put using it on a strict ban anywhere outside of the Academy.” Her expression pulled, and she shook her head. “Horizon’s sent me, like, a dozen texts when he’s caught me. So annoying.”
“It’s for the best.” Most newly awakened individuals were prohibited from using their powers until they got a better grip on it. They were just fifteen years old, so letting them run around was just asking for a disaster.
”Maybe. It’ll be better now that I’m actually going to the Academy. This last month almost killed me with anticipation.” She threw her arm out to emphasize her point, and rolled over onto her side to face me. “And it already worked, didn’t it? You came back.”
“That…” I didn’t even know what to say to that…. So I should shift topics? Right, the Academy. Since she Awakened, she had no choice but to be enrolled there. “You decided on a major?”
”Combat and Calamity Suppression." She smiled, which caused her canine to poke over her lip cutely. “Same as you.”
”Yeah… same as me.” I turned my head, and grabbed Vigil to try and disguise my expression. The last thing I wanted was her to get the wrong idea about how I felt with her Awakening.
After a few moments she turned on the radio to start one of those detective dramas she loved so much. “This fine?”
“Yep.” I tuned the radio out while my mind whirled. An Awoken… my sister… she wasn’t a Canary Cadet, at least. I felt equal parts relief and dread at that thought. She had a much higher chance of surviving as an Awoken, but I dreaded the danger she’d face. If only there was some way I could guide her through it… ‘Course, I didn’t let that fear show.
A million thoughts ran through my head, including a new source of dread. My sister was bound to be a Guardian if she opted for calamity suppression. And I, for the foreseeable future, was bound to Hades. The mere thought of facing her in the field sent shivers down my spine. No. Surely it wouldn’t come to that.
”Oh, I bet it was the medic!” Sylvie pulled me out of my thoughts sometime later. The girl stared intently at the radio with her tail held in her arms. “What do you think, Reyna?”
”I think the butler did it.” It was always the butler. I ruffled Vigil’s ears, and leaned down toward him to whisper as quietly as I could. “What do you think?”
Vigil’s voice echoed in my head… or, actually, it sounded just like usual but Sylvie didn’t react at all. “My analysis indicates it was the medic.”
”Not about that.” I sighed and shook my head. The light overhead flickered, casting deep shadows around the room only displaced by blinding neon pouring in from the alleyside window. “About Awakening?”
”This unit’s data suggests it is quite fortuitous. The chances are literally one in a million.” His eyes twisted slightly, and he thrummed in my hands. “Network access indicates the chances here are only one in ten thousand?”
”About.” One in a million? Here I was thinking Vigil didn’t know how to use sayings like that. Did the inner cities have different awakening rates? No, wait, that couldn’t be right. I had a feeling something was wrong, I just couldn’t quite place my finger on it.
“It was the medic!” Sylvie cheered and laughed gleefully, pulling me out of my thoughts as the radio show went on commercial break. “Want to keep listening?”
I smiled softly, and let it fade to the back of my mind. I could figure it out later. “Sure. This time, it’ll be the butler for sure.”
— — —
The next day, I walked my sister out to the bus. Silverport Academy had its own bus systems for its students, so the days of riding on the tram beside her were long gone. It was fine though. I was so dang proud of her.
“Love you!” She darted to my side and wrapped me in a big hug. She hustled back onto the bus, and paused just at the doors. “See you tonight!”
”Have fun.” I waved, and lingered at the bus stop as I watched it move down the street. I still felt warm from her hug. Some things never changed, huh?
With her out of sight, I reached up to loosen the straps of the black medical mask Sylvie had forced on me before we left the apartment. My phone dinged just before I could. I pulled it out to find a message from my least favorite AI.
Horizon: It is strongly recommended you keep your mask on.
Really? I stared down at the message in disbelief. After all this time, that was what you messaged me first? Stupid bastard… Why was it that he only ever showed up when he wasn’t needed?
”Ugh.” What did it matter? I kicked at the wet pavement as I felt rain soak into my hoodie. There were only five of us Silver Wolf Apexes in the entire city. A mask wouldn’t hide much. My tail gave me away more than anything.
To begin with, the mask was kind of pointless. Sylvie insisted I wore it before going out since my face was apparently quite well known now, but I highly, highly doubted it’d mean anything. I’d been in a coma for a month, so any public recognition had no doubt died in that time.
… or so I told myself. I was immediately proven wrong when I passed by a newspaper stand and found my face front and center on the page. It was a shot of me from the side just after I got out of the hospital. Hero Canary Wakes!
A shiver went down my spine, and I cast a superstitious look around. There were a few eyes on me, but they felt like the idle attention I usually got as an Apex and not anything deeper. Right, although I knew there were so few of us from the Silver Wolf Totem here, most normies wouldn’t bother to learn about that kind of thing.
I backed away from the newspaper, and lifted my mask up higher. The black fabric felt like it barely covered me, and yet nobody stopped to talk to me. Maybe I was overthinking things? Heh… I must’ve just been overthinking it all.
My head stayed low on the way to the tram station. Aside from the presence of my paraphernalia scattered around the place, there were also a higher number of Peace Keepers out than usual. They were heavily armed and armored in riot gear, too. Their presence alone made the streets feel heavier and the people wary.
I ran a hand along my tail and tried to not let it get to me. The obvious answer for the increased presence was the riots in the eastern districts. The tram station was important to the public, so it only made sense it’d be more heavily guarded.
I smoothly slipped through the station onto a tram. It was a quick ride over to the Lighthouse Chapel. Sister Neriyov sent me a message last night that she had something for me. Quinn was busy working and my sister was at school, so it was an ideal time to slip away to go see the sister.
The tension faded from me slightly once I was seated, and I idly looked out the window to keep myself distracted. Bright neon ads for the best and brightest inventions of the corporations flashed by.
Usually I ignored them, but I should be getting a big bonus from Harbor this time around. Maybe I could even get a TV for the living room? Sylvie and I had just used a radio for as long as I could remember, but a TV might be a nice upgrade.
”Operator, what is this Shade Energy I keep seeing.” My stuffed animal pulsed warmly from where I stashed him in my hoodie pocket. I pulled him out, and lightly brushed his head.
”It’s a mega corp?” How did I even explain something like that to the bot? To be honest, I was a bit surprised he didn’t keep it in his operational data. “One of the big five that keep the cities running.”
”Intriguing.” His eyes lit up slightly. “And the Pyre? That exists here too?”
”’Course?” Why wouldn’t it? Just what did he decide to keep in his memory banks? This stuff was all foundational. “We’re actually headed toward one of the churches now to meet an old friend.”
“Hmm… this unit requests time to interface with local networks and download information.” His eyes dimmed slightly, and he answered the questions tilt of my ears. “This new form has more storage space.”
“Ah, right. Next time we get somewhere—“
”Now arriving! Now arriving!” One of my ears twitched upright just as the tram ground to a halt beneath me. The announcer’s voice was ever so slightly off.
I grabbed Vigil, and moved off the tram toward the Lighthouse Chapel. I thought I’d feel better to be off the streets and at my destination. Instead, my fur raised on end and an unsettling sensation of being watched filled me. “Something doesn't feel right.”
”Affirmative, Operator. This unit's sensors indicate unnatural air flows.” My HUD popped up, and shifted around to create an arrow toward the church. “Off toward that direction.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” I paused just down the street from the chapel. Nobody was out on the street. That should’ve been my first indication something was wrong. This place should’ve been full of life, but I couldn’t even hear a cricket’s chirp.
Did a gang move through here recently? The chapel was off the main streets, so it wasn’t impossible… A feeling of dread radiating up through every fiber of my being suggested it was something else. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as I thought things through.
Sister Neriyov could be in danger. That alone was enough to make me take my first step. The next and next flowed easier until I arrived in front of the chapel. Eyes pried into me like they could pry into my very skin. It was like I was being flayed alive by some unknown entity.
A shiver went down my spine as I set my hand on the door. The feeling spiked by several times like there were thousands of eyes staring down at me in judgement. Before I could even hope to turn away, vertigo washed through me. My surroundings turned pitch black as I stepped into the chapel.