AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

18.2 ZE

The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Gale work is getting to Goldstar. Iyler too seems to be distancing herself from him. He leaves after a disagreement with her about his secret identity. Vincent, who worked at the Research Centre, talks to him at the Dining Hall. Goldstar is flustered by him when he asks to accompany Goldstar to the South Land. Goldstar is rattled by his argument with Iyler. She doesn't visit him, though he is leaving for the South Land. On the South Land, Goldstar meets Prince Irih'va of Ierne's Hi'er Empire. The Prince offers him help if ever he needs it. He also tells him, "You are in for heartbreak. And then you will do something great. A storm will provide you respite from the scorching heat."  He gets information that the Leadership is blaming the Gale for the blast at the Research center.

---- Ze is restless as he takes care of a class. He finds out that a student of his is in the hospital for an unknown sickness. The boy Xan's friend Vaughn asks him to visit Xan at the hospital as Xan would really appreciate it. 

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****18.2 - Ze****

By the time Ze reached his aunt's home, dinner time was done, but everyone had waited for him. 

The three of them had spent over three hours at the Virtual Game Centre, and Zuri hadn't yet climbed a level in Spaceship Hop. And, she hadn't destroyed the 'alien monster.' Ze felt like Zuri had something personal against that alien by the way she smashed the buttons on the controls trying to destroy it. Aija had to pull her out of the Game Centre.

Ze hadn't been able to visit Xan* yet, so he decided to go after dinner. Dinner was quiet. His uncle was generally quiet, but today he hadn't uttered a single word; neither had his cousin, Volt's younger brother Nova. He wondered if the two of them had fought – it wasn't uncommon. Nova didn't like to study, and it was exam time.

Ze helped his aunt and mother clean up. They all sat talking while Nova was studying; Ze knew he was pretending to study. Nova's ears were on the conversation they were having about the safety of Innermost's residents. By the time everyone settled for bed, it was late.

Ze placed the glass of milk his mother had forcefully given him after dinner on the bedside table using his powers. He hated milk; he often poured it back into its container after everyone had slept.

"Oh, wow!" Nova's voice came from behind him.

Shocked, he turned around to find that he had left the door open, and now Nova was standing in his room looking at the glass of milk, his eyes rounded in surprise.

"What was that?" Nova asked, now going to the glass of milk and inspecting it.

Ze immediately shut the door of his room.

"How did you do that?" his cousin asked, picking up the glass and looking underneath it as if the secret to the floating glass of milk was held at the bottom of the glass.