Blight

"Welcome, Fifth Battalion," Charlotte's ambitious voice arose in the outskirts of Sagittarius Fon. "Sumire, August, Corlean, Maven. How many of you have treaded through open fields before?"

Sumire and Corlean exchanged glances with each other, while August and Maven did the same. "Uhh, well… I did like driving my motorcycle from place to place. Kinda miss those moments." She said, thinking about the sunset vista when she drove Ryo to her place for the first time.

"Motor...cycle?" Corlean asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "What is that?"

August chuckled. "Ah, a little girl doesn't know what a motorcycle is?" He sarcastically remarked. "Only one of the most remarkable vehicles on Earth. Purring engines meticulously sound that you won't distinguish them from actual cats."

"Engines that sound like cats?" Corlean asked.

Sumire rubbed her forehead in disappointment from August's answer. "Could you stray any further from the truth?" She asked.

"Well now," Charlotte interrupted, treading between the four of them with her hands on her hips. She examined each and every member of the fifth battalion and spun around swiftly after making her round. "Pretty good start for some icebreakers, isn't it? Before we head to Yendo, I think we'll need to break it even further. Can't be traveling with some strangers I just met, with the exception of Corlean, of course."

Fifth Battalion exchanged additional glances with each other after Charlotte's request, awkwardly increasing the silence between all of them. Sumire stepped forward and placed her right hand on her chest. "I think we should get moving. We can save the icebreakers for later. Genesis could strike without us knowing." She suggested.

"Hmm," Charlotte voiced. "I'd at least like to know-"

"We'll have plenty of time to spare," Corlean interrupted, tightening the straps around her leather backpack. "For now, I can start by charting the quickest course to Yendo. If you all would just follow me…"

Corlean strapped on a pair of brown aviator goggles and began leading the way down an open field filled with mystically lit golden flowers pollinating the surrounding area. Tiny golden particles ascended towards the skies like fireflies soaring in the midnight. As Corlean took point with Charlotte escorting her, Sumire spun to look above at the Sagittarius citystate, admiring its runic pillars and boulders circulating the area like magic. Its mystery was almost alchemically divine to the point where Sumire wanted to know more. Deep down, she wished that Ryo could have seen it with her.

"Captain," Sumire carefully addressed Charlotte's title in the battalion. "What are those flying stones rotating outside the Fon's homes?"

"Ah, those," Charlotte said without wondering what Sumire was referring to. "From what I remember, they used to be relics crafted from Sir Vayah's ancestors on Vicious. They managed to find a way to circulate power and energy through the atmosphere. It took decades of experimentation to achieve such a result. We had many more… until those scoundrels attacked us. Lucine was driven insane by their attack, and she watched as those relics dissolved into ash."

Sumire couldn't imagine watching ancient history disintegrate in front of their very eyes. Such inventions needed to be cherished, she thought.

"Corlean knows," Charlotte continued, letting August and Maven take point with Corlean's investigation. "Our planet used to be such a beautiful place, surviving on the bonds of our people. It took a couple of explosives and gunpowder to light our community ablaze. The planet was dying the moment they lit the first bomb. Lucine almost died, until…"

Sumire witnessed Charlotte pause abruptly. "Hey," She said, placing her hand on Charlotte's shoulder. "It's okay. Take it easy."

Charlotte shook her head. She chuckled and continued following the battalion. "When chaos strikes, the human's natural reaction is to dread. But you know how you can't do anything but try to think about all the good that's happened despite it all? That's me right now. No matter who or what Lucine has become, she will always be the same sister to me. She will always be the angel that serenaded our planet."

Sumire grinned at Charlotte's hopeful response.

"We used to play "pirate" all the time, me and her. We'd take turns hiding our parents' stolen jewelry in the galleys that our ancestors used to build. It was like a treasure hunt. She'd always win, while I'd always lose, of course. That's the kind of person Lucine was. She was always so quick and decisive," Charlotte explained, shrouding her face in embarrassment. "From there on, I always thought that I could remember who Lucine was by being a pirate. That's what my coping mechanism was in the present. Being a pirate."

"That's… really sweet of you." Sumire complimented.

"But I'm a fool to think about the past like that," Charlotte admitted. "I might think this way, but Lucine's already dealt her cards. We have to… we have to…" Charlotte couldn't speak.

"I've already promised to the Fon that I would save her, and I'm not breaking that promise," Sumire supported Charlotte's waning strength. "I used to have a mother who cherished me exactly the way that you described Lucine. My father was the opposite, and yet I watched him bring that chaos to our family, watching it all die just like Lucine. I understand the pain of not being able to fight back. That's why I know Lucine isn't too far gone."

Charlotte chuckled. "So, you think you're really much like her, don't you?"

"I know I am," Sumire affirmed. "Because it doesn't take a genius to know that when you have a home and people to protect along with it, you'd sacrifice anything to make that happen. Genesis corrupted Lucine's mind, and they'll pay for it."

"I like the way that you think," Charlotte complimented. "You've got a good heart. What was your name again?"

"Sumire." She reintroduced.

"Sumire, huh?" Charlotte said. "You know, not long ago, there was another young boy about your age who was curious about Lucine too. And now, I wouldn't hold it against him. Lucine truly is someone to marvel for. You and him wanting to save her really means the world to me. It shows me that there are still people in this world that are worth cherishing. So, thank you, Sumire."

With a smile, Sumire nodded. "It's no big deal." She said, moving ahead.

Yendo's rampant cultivation began to show itself the moment the fifth battalion began to travel more and more distant miles on foot. Violet juicy and plump fruits grew over the trees stretching towards the horizon, tickling the clouds of the skies like tiny dew-dropped paintbrushes. Sumire sometimes had to stop and admire the scenery of the Sagittarius District. Its natural beauty rivaled even the most complex cities in all of Aries, and she could not pass it down. Over the extended duration, Corlean's energy began to drain away after stepping more than she had bargained for. August and Maven kept a close eye for unsuspecting Genesis invaders, while Sumire and Charlotte continued to chat about Lucine.

Corlean stopped in her tracks, letting the dirt and dust beneath the soles of her feet to subside after dragging them across sandy terrain for so long. She removed her goggles and turned to face the battalion. "Perhaps someone else should take point momentarily with my coordinates," She suggested. "Captain, if you may."

"Good idea," August said. "I was worried I would have to carry you if you collapsed."

Maven nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Charlotte said, separating from Sumire's hospitality. She grabbed Corlean's map and began to take point. "I'll take point then. We're nearly there. I hope the expedition still remains safe."

Corlean pattered and swept all of the lingering dirt from her royal attire and moved to the back of the battalion's line to join Sumire. She unsuspectingly grabbed Sumire's hand, catching her off guard. Together, they began to slow their pace down as August and Maven began to catch up with Charlotte.

"Hey, what are you-" Sumire began.

"I'm noticing something odd from my third eye," Corlean stated as her eyes fell under cautiousness. She snapped her fingers in front of Sumire's eyes to grab her attention forward. "Do you notice that man in our battalion, Maven? The man's never said a word to any of us. I've been observing his behavior as I have been taking point, and nothing has changed."

"Now that you mention it," Sumire said, examining the back of Maven's figure. A fairly tall individual who had a posture as straight as a tree, Maven was nothing but a man of no background. His face could have deliberately been shrouded, as a visored helmet covered his face. The helmet seemed like an intricately designed bronze gas mask that filtered the Sagittarius atmosphere. "I don't think he's said anything either."

"A bit strange, isn't it?" Corlean continued whispering. "The last time something came unaddressed was the detonation outside of our citystate. No leads, no suspects for naught. A detonation that big calls for a proper investigation, but Sir Vayah only wanted to stray from it. It's clear that he only wanted to conserve the peace of our citystate, but an explosion of that level near our homes? That can't be natural!"

"Uh, how long have you been thinking about this?" Sumire asked.

"Since the moment it started, of course," Corlean said. "This level of oddity will not suffice. The Glacial Crystal should not be our priority right now. Our safety is-"

A piercing shrill sounded through the foliage covering their vicinity. Captain Charlotte yanked her flintlock pistol out and aimed it above their heads at the trees blotting out the sun's light. Sumire heard the unnatural blast of noise and sprinted towards the rest of the battalion with Corlean.

"Captain, what's happen-"

Corlean screamed at the top of her lungs, forcing Sumire to turn back. A Genesis soldier, armed with a pistol-shaped device, hovered a blinding translucent light over her eyes. Armed with wings spanning as large as another human body, another soaring Genesis soldier collided with Sumire and tossed her against a tree at full force. Her vision obscured after colliding, and she fell flat back down with her palms on the autumn leaves. Two flying Genesis soldiers, powered by energy-charged jetpacks, hovered around Sumire's weakened body.

"Corlean…" Sumire grunted, pressing her right hand on her chest. She regained her strength with the will to save Corlean and shot her head straight up from the ground. "God dammit. Let her go!" She cried, activating her nanosuit.

"Impossible. A nanosuit? In Sagittarius?" One of the soldiers astonishingly expressed.

"Get the rest of them!" The other soldier cried, sending the latter away to attack the rest of the fifth battalion.

Sumire's body was fully plated in her nanosuit, and she ejected her crimson energy blade from her right wrist. She honed her neural interface to focus on Corlean, who was struggling with Genesis soldiers flashing the light into her eyes. She lunged forward, igniting her nanosuit's thrusters and darting forward at extreme speeds.

The winged soldier intercepted Sumire's dash, shoving the both of them against a mossy boulder. The two of them collided with it, shattering it into tiny pebble-sized pieces. A massive slab of the boulder collapsed in front of Sumire, prompting her to roll over to dodge it from slamming on top of her. The enemy soldier was nowhere to be found, and Sumire laid back in silence.

She held her head up and peeked at the boulder. A fiery-red dot began lighting through the opposite side of the boulder, gradually expanding as seconds passed. Two seconds passed, and the light had already expanded to a full circle. Sumire flipped back as a laser penetrated the boulder in two. The winged soldier ignited its jetpack and charged at Sumire with a reared punch. She dodged underneath him as his jab shattered parts of a tree's sides.

Sumire utilized the soldier's opening to plunge her energy blade into its gut. The soldier groaned in pain as it slumped to its knees, weakened after the critical blow.

"Where's the Glacial Crystal? What do you want from the Fon?!" Sumire asked, holding her blade close to the soldier's neck.

Refusing to speak any further, the soldier grabbed a pocket knife from its pouch and attempted to jab it through Sumire's leg. However, too much blood was being lost, and he missed entirely from his sluggish movement. Sumire had no choice but to retaliate, striking a punishing blow on the back of the soldier's neck. She refused to execute the soldier despite Genesis showing no mercy to the Fon.

"Damn it." Sumire said, turning back to where the fifth battalion remained. She soared forward with her ignition boosters, closing the gap on her allies. August was nowhere to be seen, while Maven defended Charlotte with his weapons; a steel edge sharpened by the Sagittarius Fon. She charged forward while shouting, colliding with another winged soldier attempting to attack Charlotte. As she held onto the soldier, she fired her mag booster against its chest, blasting it back against another boulder at full force.

Sumire turned back to watch her allies failing to repel the winged Genesis soldiers. August, who had been cowering in fear behind a wooden tree, wanted to escape the premises based on his cowardly attitude. Sumire scoffed at his behavior and attempted to save Charlotte and Maven, but the same translucent light that blinded Corlean earlier stunned Sumire's vision. The light pierced through Sumire's nanosuit visor, sending her falling to the leaves below.

"W-what…" Sumire feebly spoke. "What's happening to me…?" Sumire attempted to recover to rescue her allies, but her muscles were slowly draining in strength. The light induced several visions within Sumire's mind. Ear shrilling sounds began clouding her ears with the whispers and moans of unknown people crying for desperation.

"Save me, Sumire…"

"Useless daughter…"

"Nothing but a chore to you…"

Sumire gasped as she removed her helmet visor. She clenched her ears together with her palms, recognizing the voices as her mother and father desperately calling for her. "No…" Sumire whispered. "What kind of weapon… is this…?" The two winged Genesis soldiers landed directly beside Sumire, kicking her shoulders down and projecting more of the light into her eyes. The whispers gradually became much louder, transforming into virulent hisses as seconds passed.

"Daughter, daughter, daughter…"

"Never born! Never born!"

"Happiness… failure…"

Sumire couldn't take the pressure anymore. She screamed at the top of her lungs. "Stop it!" She bellowed.

A muffled gunshot echoed through the forest, striking the winged soldier's pistol-shaped light weapon out of its hands. Rustling leaves and snapping twigs caught the attention of the two Genesis soldiers surrounding Sumire, forcing them to stay alert. The soldiers attacking Charlotte, Corlean, and Maven paused after realizing something was dreadfully wrong about their surroundings.

Faintly sounding footsteps began approaching the soldiers near Sumire. A small teenage boy who appeared no older than sixteen approached the soldiers with vials of glistening golden liquid strapped around his body. Violet-colored war paint marked the child's cheeks as the distance between him and the soldiers began closing in.

"It's just a kid," One of the Genesis soldiers indicated. "Get that gun out of his hand."

"What kind of kid knows how to shoot like that?" The other soldier cried, stepping forward with a laser pistol pointed at the boy's body from far away. "Get back! Don't make me shoot you, kid!"

The boy's arms were revealed shortly after more distance was covered. The light-skinned boy held a gear-powered magnum exuding steam and smokey fumes from its barrel. In his left hand, a glove gadget with intricate metal wires wrapped and attached around the boy's fingers reared back before clamping down as soon as his fingers collided with his palms. Two miniature indiscernible vials of the golden liquid, no bigger than a cherry, soared through the air and pelted both of the soldier's covered helmets. The golden vials expunged the soldier's faces in an unknown viscous liquid, immediately sending them falling down unconsciously.

The boy wore a gas mask, approaching Sumire with another in his hands. He carefully placed the mask onto Sumire's mouth and pointed his magnum at the two Genesis soldiers. "If you won't kill them…" The boy spoke with a raspy voice before firing two magnum shots into the heads of the soldiers. Blood splattered the ends of their helmets and seeped underneath their necks. Sumire, startled by the boy's audacity to discharge a fully loaded weapon at such a young age, shuddered at the mere sight of more allied forces descending the skies camouflaged in foliage. "Then we will." He finished.

More golden vials of liquid splattered across the remaining winged Genesis soldiers, rendering them all unconscious. Sumire was astonished by the sheer accuracy and will of mere young soldiers performing these daredevil stunts, risking their lives in the process. All of them appeared so young and fragile on the inside, but war machines on the outside.

The remaining young soldiers executed all of the soldiers on sight with their magnums. Sumire began to regain complete consciousness after being stunned by the vision inducing light. The young boy raised his hand out for Sumire to grab to pull her up. Sumire deactivated her nanosuit and approached a cowardly August, knowing that their surroundings were safe.

"What the hell were you doing?" Sumire asked. "Corlean and Maven risked their lives to protect Charlotte, and you just crawled away?"

"I am a scientist, not a barbarian," August clarified, brushing the leaves and foliage off of his clothes. "Those soldiers have more firepower than I had ever realized."

"You should have expected it!" Corlean, who regained consciousness with the help of two other young soldiers by her side, entered the conversation. "Or were you just too nervous as you were when the explosion near our citystate happened? You fought well back there, didn't you? Where was the same treatment for our battalion?"

August approached Corlean, slicking his brown hair back while lowering his tone. "Are you accusing me of something, girl?" An unexpected menacing voice arose from his vocal cords. "You should be lucky that I stopped that bastard from doing anything else to your precious home. Or have you forgotten already?"

"I'm…" Corlean blushed and appeared nervous as her eyebrows drooped down. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just… I'm only worried about our homes. But we need your assistance in these fights if we are to survive!"

"Will you three shut up?" The young boy that rescued Sumire intervened, flailing his magnum at them like a toy. He peeked his head behind Sumire's shoulder and called for one of his other young soldier's associates. Charlotte, who was safe with Maven, approached the rest of the group with their masks on. "Ambush status report?"

"The place is all clear, sir!" A female soldier saluted from far away to the boy, stealing several trinkets and gadgets from the winged Genesis soldiers.

"That's fair," The boy replied, beckoning the fifth battalion with his hands. Navy blue tribal tattoos decked the boy's two arms like sleeves of vinyls. Sumire could not help but realize that she was rescued and was taking orders from a little boy who knew how to battle strategically. "Captain Charlotte. You and your people need to come here and look at this." He insisted, leading the way towards one of the executed soldiers.

"Well, glad to know Yendo's safe and sound because of you all," Charlotte said, gesturing for her battalion to follow. "Sir Vayah was waiting for your answer, but nothing came back yet."

"That's because we've been in deep shit recently," The boy replied sternly. "Signs of the Glacial Crystal have appeared in the eastern areas of Sagittarius Fon. These winged bastards have been causing a direct blow into our quarries. We can't keep defending our homes or you and others like this. We have our own survival to attend to."

"I understand, kid," Charlotte continued. "That's why we're here; to retrieve that crystal before things turn for the worst."

The boy looked up at Charlotte and smirked. "What makes you think that you and your ragtag group of strangers can do any better than us?" He said. "We just saved your asses. If you think your friends can survive against their blights, then be my guest and get that crystal."

"Blights?" Corlean asked. "What are blights?"

The boy sighed, glaring at Charlotte in a sarcastic childlike manner. "You see? Even your friends don't even know what those freaks have in store for us. If Sir Vayah really wanted that crystal, then he wouldn't send a bunch of clueless people like you all with Captain Charlotte," He addressed the four. "Don't waste our time. We're leaving." He said, before departing.

"Wait!" Sumire called, hurriedly approaching the young boy.

"What?" The boy asked, annoyed beyond normal capacity.

"I have to thank you for saving us," Sumire said, holding out her fist in a goofy manner. "So, let's fistbump."

Charlotte, Corlean, August, Maven, and the other young soldiers part of Yendo's expedition surrounded Sumire and the young boy was astonished by her tenacity to approach the boy with such an unorthodox greeting and appreciation. Sumire held her smile, wanting to explore the young boy's childish mind rather than have him focus on more significant adult issues.

"What?" The boy confusingly asked.

"You know, fistbump," Sumire continued. She could sense hundreds of eyes oggling at her abnormal behavior, attempting to assimilate with the Yendo expeditionary crew. "What? Don't all kids know how to do that?"

"Not me." A chubby kid soldier chuckled and crossed his arms together, wanting to know more.

"Well… all you have to do is put your hand in a fist like this…" Sumire demonstrated, having the young boy copy her. "Then you bump it, like this."

The boy clenched his hand into a fist and lightly tapped Sumire's fist. His head leaned to the side in confusion. Sumire heard laughter and chatter condemning Sumire's actions. Instead of condemning her, the boy chuckled in amazement. "Wow, and what was that for?" He asked. "If it was for nothing, then I'll be on my way, thank you very much." He said before departing once again.

"I wanted to teach it to Lucine." Sumire raised her voice, hoping to receive his attention again.

The boy froze in place, turning around after hearing her name.

Sumire nodded gently. "It's a sign of friendship," She continued. "It means that you're friends with each other. I always thought that it was 'cool.'"

"Cool?" The boy asked. "What does that mean?"

"Well, when you're friends with someone for a very long time, and they do something that makes you all happy, you would call them 'cool,' Sumire explained, chuckling. "I just thought that I could teach it to someone like you so that when Lucine comes back, you could teach her and everyone else here together."

"Is that so…" The boy became interested, his voice fluctuating in curiosity. "You sound like you know a lot about Lucine. Are you her friend?"

Sumire couldn't quite connect the dots between friendship or obstacles. But no matter what, she wanted to fulfill her promises, just like she wanted with Ryo. "I would… like to think so, yes," She said. "I know a lot about her, and I know that everyone else looked up to her."

"Well, guess what," The boy approached Sumire with a smirk on his face. "Lucine will never be 'cool,' and neither will you," He affirmed turning his back on Sumire and extending his hand to the rest of his expeditionary group. "Let's move!"

Sumire remained still as if a bullet struck her heart down. The rest of Yendo's expeditionary team, followed by Captain Charlotte leading with them, moved through the forest while carrying some of the gadgets and equipment that the Genesis soldiers dropped. Sumire remained frozen as August and Maven passed by her, sticking with the pack. Her left fist remained still in the air until she dropped it towards her sides, defeated.

"They may be young, but they have a heart ready for battle," Corlean explained to Sumire. "They've… they've lost hope in saving Lucine."

"But… why?"