Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 21: False//Frame

July 26, 4021 03:18 [Matriarch 03 AB Side- Khar Khot]

"...Awake. He's awake!"

Mirai squinted, still groggy, looking up at a circle of faces leaning over him.

Something jumped at him, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

"Gahhh!" he yelled.

"Step back, Aisha! Give him space! All of you, step back!" Ghost ordered.

Aisha relinquished her grip on him, sheepishly moving backward while mumbling an apology.

Mirai sucked in shallow breaths as he tenderly touched his battered body. Aside from a couple of bruises, he seemed to be fine. He slowly pieced together his surroundings. They were still on the helipad, his clothes soaked through as raindrops continued to pelt the city.

"I healed you up as best as I could but there was such an excessive amount of damage to your body that I'll need to do a couple more passes until you're fully healed," Ghost explained.

"Urgh, everything hurts," Mirai moaned.

Ghost nodded. "Yes, that's normal. You're looking good considering you had to hold your own against a Hyena. I'm surprised you're still alive."

The mention of a Hyena reminded Mirai why he was up there in the first place. "Uh, I may have killed him."

Ghost shook her head. "He's fine. As awful as he is, Gauss didn't become a Hyena by accident."

Mirai craned his neck, looking over to where he had struck down Gauss, only to see him standing upright, looking as if he hadn't just been pierced by lightning. The only pieces of evidence that Mirai had even harmed him were the enormous scorch marks etched into his poncho, exposing his skin. His chest lay bare, a black mark where Mirai thought his last attack had landed. Surrounding Gauss were a few others, facing him with stern expressions. Kefka and Anari flanked a tall man dressed in a satin overcoat, protected from the elements by their umbrellas. Brilliant rubies dangled from his ears, matching the balayage of dark red running through his curtain bangs.

Standing further in front was another tall figure, his broad shoulders shaking with fury as he towered over Gauss. The man's dark hair was tied back in a messy bun, loose strands falling over his face. He was powerfully built, donning a dark trench coat. Gauss looked up at him with a bored expression as the man scolded him. Mirai's ears pricked up. Through the downpour, his hearing seemed even clearer than before. Another mutation?

"Explain to me why two buildings in the eighth district have been completely leveled. I specifically told you not to start any trouble while you were in my city," the man spoke through gritted teeth.

"I already told you, I wanted to see if Cecil was telling the truth about him," Gauss said, jerking his head in Mirai's direction. "Guess he was right. The bastard ruined my poncho, too," he grimaced.

There was a pause. "Where's the wind seal? Weren't you wearing it?"

Gaus shrugged "It broke."

"How?!"

"You didn't see it? The giant lightning attack? Lit up the sky? Parted the clouds?"

The man furrowed his brow. "This isn't good. The Shogun's son made that seal in good faith. It'll be a while before we can travel back to Yoru, and I doubt the next trip's going to be for diplomacy." He turned his head, staring at Mirai, sizing him up. "Did he really break it?"

"Do you not see the scorch marks on my chest? Honestly, if I wasn't wearing the seal, I might've needed Ghost's assistance to heal me up. On second thought, that doesn't sound too bad," he grinned.