AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

19.1 LUKA

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. Ze fights with his mother, again, about his powers. He leaves home and goes to the hospital to visit his student Xan. Ze finds something strange as he reaches the hospital and decides to check it out.

---- Xan is still in the hospital. He is still weak. Vaughn confesses to Xan that he loves him. They share their first kiss.

---- Xan is approached by two strange men dressed in the white-coats of doctors. They tell him he is dying, but he can give up his soul to save the Earth. 

---- Xan chooses to give his soul for the Earth. 

✽✽✽

****19.1 - Luka****

"Let's meet at the car." they agreed.

He walked out of the room. Nala was sitting out, keeping guard. He nodded ever so slightly at her, and she walked away in the opposite direction. He turned right from the room and headed straight.

It had been too easy. The boy had so easily believed them. How could he have?

Luka turned around the corner and heard the commotion ensue behind him. He looked back to see two nurses run into the boy's room, and one ran out, fear carved onto her face. Luka hurried down the corridor but was caught by a doctor just as an emergency was announced, and doctors were requested to go to Room 109.

"Where do you think you are going?" the doctor asked, holding his arm.

Luka instantly regretted wearing the coat of an intern with the word 'INTERN' embroidered in bright red. He considered putting the doctor into unconsciousness, but it would gather further unnecessary attention, and there were too many people around.

"You are supposed to answer emergency calls when you are on duty. There's an emergency in Room 109. Why are you wearing your bag?"

Before Luka could hold on tight to it, the doctor removed his satchel, gave it to a nurse who had been heading to Room109 asking her to keep it in the bag room and dragged Luka with him. Luka desperately needed to get out of there, but he also needed to not cause a scene.