1 Chapter 1: The Departure

Red's POV

Red woke up from his sleep with a start. His mind was in a complete mess. After shaking his head a few times and observing his surroundings he calmed down. The clothes he was wearing were wet due to perspiration. He quickly got out of the bed and went to the bathroom to take a wash.

First time it was just a thought, second time it was a dream but from the third time it became a nightmare. At first he didn't pay any attention to them but as time passed the frequency of those 'Visions' increased. They started from illusions but as time passed they began to feel more materialistic.

After coming out of the bathroom he inspected his face in the mirror. Looking at his shiny black hair and ocean blue eyes, which always reminded him of his family, made his resolve even firmer.

There was also a possibility of it being a trap. After travelling to vast parts of the universe, humans underwent a lot of changes due to which their genetic structure evolved and some people acquired some special abilities, which still did not have any scientific explanation. These abilities were hereditary but still less than one percent human population had them. But Red was not one of those few and hence it was possible that some bloodline ability user had set up a trap for him. But even if it was a trap, which may even kill him, he was still going to go.

He dressed up in all black, along with wearing a black cloak and a black mask to hide his identity. After that he opened his "Black Bag' which he always brought along, and checked all its contents. He only left a few water bottles, some dry rations, a few handgun magazines and burned everything else in the bathtub.

He hung his handgun on his left waist. It seemed like any other handgun however it was custom made for Red by a bloodline ability user. It contained twice the number of bullet than any normal handgun due to the small bullet size and the velocity of the bullets was also boosted.

On his right waist he hung his two swords. One was a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a golden coloured circular guard and a long black grip to accommodate two hands, a typical katana. The other was a black bladed, straight, twin-edged sword which was very slim and had a blue hilt, with a Lapis Lazuli the size of a thumb embedded in it. Even just by looking at them one could guess that they were unordinary. The katana was made from an alloy of Chromium and one percent Veril. The twin-edged sword was made from an alloy of Osmium and ten percent Veril. They were among the best weapons on Gnosis due to the addition of Veril, a mysterious metal which easily combined with every other known metal and added some special properties to the crafted equipment.

After arranging everything he quickly left the hotel without being noticed by the staff. After going to the parking area he quickly got hold of his electric bike. He reminded himself that he only had one hour to get out of here.

Noir was one of the seven cities of Gnosis. Although it didn't have anything to show for itself it was in the centremost one of the 'Seven Cities' and hence an exchange hub. Due to this one of the best swordsmen on Gnosis, Lois, was assigned here. Nobody thought that anything could go wrong with Lois present here.

As it was midnight there were hardly any people present on the roads. Due to the security drones flying around and observing the city the crime rate was also negligible. And on this silent night the security posts throughout the fifty-mile city started to lose power one by one. Soon alarms started to sound throughout the city. Security aircrafts started to circle around the city and a total lock down was imposed. There was total chaos throughout the city, the city which people thought could even face an army of thousands had been breached.

The main instigator of this chaos, Red, was driving his bike through the underground tunnel at full speed. Soon this area will also be locked down, then it would become hard to go out unnoticed. Luckily there were no vehicles here due to electric supply being cut. Just when he reached the end of the tunnel and thought he was really lucky, what entered his sight was a tanned middle-aged man wearing a full knight's uniform standing outside the tunnel. He was holding an unsheathed sword with its blade pointed towards the ground.

'What the hell!' Red screamed in his mind. Although he expected some security to be here but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would encounter Lois. This was totally out of any of his predictions.

He stopped his bike just hundred metres ahead of Lois. Looking towards Red, Lois warned, "Young guy, it would be better for you if you surrender now. You won't have to experience any pain. Soon the others will also be here." Red knew that Lois wasn't lying. Even if he fought Lois it would be a very long fight where his victory wasn't completely assured. Even if he won, it would be too late and the security would have already arrived. The only lucky lining was that he was wearing a mask which covered his face and voice so Lois didn't know it was him.

"How did you notice?" asked Red.

"The security was completely compromised. The only way to maintain the working of the city was to secure electricity from other sources. So all the places where electricity was used were arranged in a priority list. And all the electricity from the less prioritized areas was taken. The perfect chance for someone like you, who is carrying a Disabler and destroying all the hidden cameras in the tunnel, to escape without being noticed. So have you decided to surrender?" it seemed that Lois really didn't want to harm Red.

"Sorry. If I was going to surrender, I wouldn't have started this." Red replied emotionlessly.

"Why don't young people treasure their life" sighed Lois.

Red started to accelerate his Bike towards Lois. Lois also readied himself to take down Red with one blow. Looking at it objectively the result of this clash was predetermined. Lois was experienced in using his bloodline ability whereas Red didn't even have a shred of it. The gap created by bloodline ability was too large to be reduced by any normal means.

Just when Red got close to Lois he brought out a small light grenade from the side pocket of his cloak and threw it between them. Lois thought it was Red's last-ditch effort. He closed his eyes, grasped the changes going on in his surroundings and swung his sword. He expected his sword to cut flesh and blood to spurt out, but it never occurred. Instead of it he heard a loud 'Clank' sound. Opening his eyes he saw the young man, who had blocked his sword with a katana, had lost control of the bike and was falling down.

Red knew that if he met Lois head-on then he would definitely stay here. So he bet everything on one strike. After throwing the grenade he predicted the path of Lois's sword. Just when their swords were about to clash he activated the ability of his katana, which made it twice as heavier for some time. Combining this with hardness of chromium made it possible to somehow withstand the blow but he lost control of the bike and fell down.

Just as Lois , who thought it was over, was walking closer to the fallen Red, they both heard the sound of another bike. A person wearing a black mask and black coat came in their view. He took out a handgun and started to shoot towards Lois. Lois was easily able to deflect the bullets but the time gap allowed Red to start his bike. Red caught up with the newcomer and they both disappeared into the night.

Lois could only look at them without doing anything. Even if he shot at them, he doubted if he will actually hit them. Looking at his sword he muttered 'When did nobles became such idiots. Causing such problems to others.'

He already predicted that the loss of electricity was just a cover up used to cover the traces of that person. Now it would be impossible to find who he was. The only reason he knew that young boy was noble was because he had already clashed with a few people using Veril swords. It was one of the rarest metals, and it wasn't even found on Gnosis, hence only a handful of people on the whole planet were able to buy even a grain of it.

After riding for one hour on the deserted road Red stopped his bike at the side of the road. If he didn't destroy it quickly someone will be able to track him. He dismantled it and set it on fire and destroyed the communication system implanted in it.

Looking at the two moons shining brightly in the sky he muttered, "Be healthy. I will do everything to keep you all safe." Then he turned to his accomplice and said, "Tell her, I will do whatever she wants as long as she upholds her end of the deal."

The accomplice nodded his head and took out a phone and called someone. After talking for a few minutes he raised his thumb towards Red. Seeing this Red went and sat behind his accomplice. Soon they disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Rubia's POV

Standing on the balcony looking at the night sky without any moons and only twinkling stars, Rubia thought 'How peaceful'. Looking at her roommate, who was also her best friend, Anna , who was snuggled on her own bed made Rubia feel a little warmth in her heart. 'May this peace remain till eternity'. It was only wishful thinking but she wished for it to be true, from the depth of her heart.

Soon an Owl's hoot brought her back from her daydreaming. It was already past midnight. The guards will soon change their post. That will be the only chance she will have. She changed her clothes without making any sound, afraid that Anna will wake up. She wore a cloak and a mask to hide her identity. She hid a dagger in her left shoes. It was a habit of hers so that if anytime something went wrong she will not feel helpless.

After observing from the balcony and not seeing anyone, Rubia jumped down from her dorm room. If it was a normal person then an injury was certain, but Rubia was someone who had mastered countless fighting styles and techniques, so she was able to bear the brunt of the fall without a hitch. Her clothes perfectly blended with the darkness.

A small garden full of trees, plants, and flowers surrounded her dorm building. And beside the garden was a paved road. The whole Academy had a complex structure of paved roads, which was like a maze for even someone who had been here for a month. Rubia had already memorized the path which she had to take. She was just waiting for the guard to pass.

Soon a guard came by. Although he wasn't carrying a torch or other sources of light he was able to see in the darkness clearly due to night vision lenses. Rubia quickly hid behind a tree and stopped making any sound. The guard passed without noticing her. She only had two minutes to reach her destination, after which the drones will start monitoring.

She began running at her top speed. She didn't care about making noise as all the dormitories had noise insulating walls. Just as she was close her destination , which was a large building, she saw a drone approaching its entrance. She took out the pebble which she was carrying for situations like this and threw it in the opposite direction of the entrance. The drone heard the noise and looked at where the pebble hit. Taking this opportunity Rubia continued running and after reaching the entrance she showed her 'Digi-watch' to the scanner. Before the drone could look back she was already inside.

The Digi-watch was a equipment which had become an integral part of every person's life. From video-calling someone to operating vehicles remotely, it was able to do everything. Just like a mini supercomputer. But nothing was perfect. Rubia had hacked her Digi-watch and installed several false credentials to help her in situations such as these, where she did not have permission to enter certain areas.

Looking around, in front of her was the reception desk which was empty. Well nobody was crazy enough to come here during mid-night, well, except for crazy people like her. 'She will be here soon. Let me get ready till then' Rubia thought.

The building was as large as it showed from outside and also very spacious. This building where she was at, was the combat training area for second term students. Here all kinds of facilities from body building to different types of weapon's practice areas were present. Her destination was the highest floor, the eleventh floor. After reaching there from the lift she quickly went to the changing area. Reaching there she used her false credentials to take out her sparring clothes . After quickly changing into them she moved to the main sparring field situated at the centre of the floor. Without wasting any time she quickly began warmup exercises.

After a few minutes she heard some noise coming from downstairs. She waited for a few minutes after which another person came out of the lift.

The newcomer was a girl of around 17-18 years old. She was also wearing a black cloak, possibly to hide herself. She had short white hair, which perfectly matched with her smooth skin, with a tinge of yellow at the end. Although she had a cheerful smile on her face there was a slight coldness in her black pupils.

"Hey Kaya, what took you so long?" questioned Rubia, who was still exercising.

"Today they were on my tail. It took some time to lose them." answered the newcomer, Kaya.

"Well whatever. You are already warmed up so let us begin." Rubia said with a serious expression on her face. She stopped her exercising and went to the edge of the field where all kinds of weapons were placed from swords and bows to battle-axes and halberds. After examining the weapons for some time Rubia selected a pair of twin-swords. They were just like standard swords without any special ability, made from 1045 carbon steel.

After swinging the swords a few times and getting familiar with them Rubia looked back. Kaya was standing at the opposite end swinging a spear. Her movements were so meticulous and fluid that it felt like a beautiful dance to the observer. After getting familiar with the spear Kaya stared at Rubia straight in the eyes. There was an unspoken agreement between them. They both moved to the centre of the sparring field.

The sparring field was circular and had a diameter of roughly sixty yards. Surrounding the field were seats for observers. There were also several screens around the large room which showed the spar from different angles. It was a perfect place to determine who was stronger.

Rubia and Kaya were facing each other at the centre of the field. There was a layer of invisible tension between them. They were waiting for the other person to make the first move.

'I have to take the initiative', finally Rubia was not able to hold back and swung her right sword, which was easily deflected by Kaya. In that split second Rubia swung her left sword at Kaya's neck, which was again easily dodged by Kaya by bending back. Before Rubia could regain her lost balance a kick had already appeared in front of her face. Although she was able to block it by her right hand, she was pushed back.

"You are still not patient enough. Attacking first and taking initiative are not the same thing. How many times should I remind you?", Kaya scolded Rubia in a slightly angry voice.

Rubia just silently nodded. She knew what Kaya said was entirely true. The spar had only started and she was already pushed back. She was growing stronger at a very fast rate but it was still not enough. Looking at Kaya she regained her posture. Without showing any openings she started to walk towards Kaya.

When they were both close enough Kaya took the initiative and lunged towards Rubia. Rubia was barely able to deflect the spear with one hand and again swung her other sword at Kayas waist, pushing her back.

After taking a step back, Kaya again aimed her spear at Rubia's chest. Rubia dodged the spear with a slight cut on her left shoulder. The long reach of the spear was proving problematic.

'She's not holding back today. I should also give my best' thought Rubia. She ran towards Kaya and then the real fight began. With swings and thrusts, kicks and punches, deflects and dodges, and jabs and blocks. They both lost the count of times they clashed and were only focused on the next action of their opponent.

Finally after two hours they were both completely exhausted. Kaya was sweating buckets and her spear tip was covered in blood but other than that there was no other problem. But in contradiction Rubia who was also sweating buckets had a lot of small cuts across her exposed arms and cheeks and her swords didn't even have a drop of blood.

facing each other they came to a silent agreement. This will be their last move. They both ran at each other. Just as they got close Rubia threw her left sword at Kaya which was easily deflected. Due to this distraction Rubia was able to dodge the incoming spear without much effort. After moving aside she quickly clutched the spear with her empty left hand. Her left palm was bleeding but she held on and swung her right sword at Kaya. But before the sword could reach Kaya a punch had already landed itself on the left side of her upper abdomen.

Rubia let go of the spear and her sword and sat down, clutching her stomach. The pain was so intense that she was not able to think of anything else. It took a few minutes for the pain to ease down. "You didn't need to throw that last punch!" Rubia shouted at Kaya.

"You wouldn't have stopped if I didn't stop you." retorted the accused Kaya with little to no sympathy. She knew Rubia's character very well. If she hadn't stopped Rubia then this spar would have continued for another hour.

"Has something happened to my brother? I have not received a word from him for two weeks.", Rubia quickly changed the topic and asked what was on her mind.

"Nothing that I know of.", replied Kaya in her ice-cold voice

"Forget it. Have you taken care of the preparations?" asked Rubia.

"Yes. We will be leaving tomorrow." replied Kaya with a little smile on her face, which didn't fit her image.

"I will have my last test tomorrow. Be sure to be ready before that" Rubia reminded Kaya while clutching her stomach and moving towards the changing area. Kaya didn't need to change her clothes as she fought with the same clothes she was wearing.

After changing into her disguise Rubia left the building and moved in opposite direction to Kaya. After returning to her room without being discovered, she quickly took a bath and changed her clothes with as less noise as possible so as not to wake up Anna. As soon as she got on her bed, she fell fast asleep.

At another place Kaya had reached her room. Tomorrow they will be returning. She didn't show it but she was worried about how Rubia would react after knowing her brother had disappeared without a trace. Worrying won't get her anywhere and she was already fatigued so she stopped thinking and slept.