Far From Home

"I should have listened."

A Collector team sprints across the black land of Kalar, toward the boat that awaits them under the Stem. Frantic. Terrified. The Rajin men snap their vision in every direction as they run, eyes wide and breaths short.

Ash stains the land. A volcano in the distance erupts.

One of the men, red-skinned and of average height by Rajin standards, glances behind. His eyes bulge as a ginormous mass of white wispy energy rockets from the ground. The Massor phases through the black rock, ascending high in the air. It comes to a stop under the mixture of clouds and black smoke, hollow eyes scanning the land until it finds its prey.

The red-skinned Rajin trips as he runs. His head slams against the rock, adding another injury to the broken arm given to him by a Parasite. The Rajin raises his bleeding head, and through blurry vision and a thumping in his brain, he sees his partner still sprinting. The man had never hesitated to leave him.

The fallen Rajin turns with a hiss of pain, leaning on one elbow as he looks up into the sky. His migraine is the only thing that keeps him from panicking as he sees a white blur descending upon him. The man closes his eyes, a shaky breath escaping his lips. I deserve this, the man thinks through the fog in his brain, I'm sorry for what I did to you, my love.

The Massor takes him, relieving the pain and sorrow from his battered soul.

The last man standing continues to sprint across the land, a layer of sweat covering his violet skin. He glances behind to see his partner on the ground, unmoving. His eyes return to the path ahead. The double peaks are just ahead, two volcanos placed close enough together that the bottom of their slopes merge. This is where all collectors leave their boats when visiting Kalar.

The violet-skinned Rajin rounds the side of the double peaks, and soon reaches his boat, pulling it from its position leaning against the volcano. He boards the vessel, putting a shaky hand on the Control Orb, the other tightly gripping his sword. The boat rises, flying up toward the stem at a fast pace. The Rajin gulps, chuckling nervously as he stares at the safety awaiting him from above.

The Collector turns, looking down at the double peaks below. He looks across the land. Volcanos, ash, and the dead body of his partner are the only things that enter his vision. The Rajin looks back up at the stem, a chuckle turning to a bout of unbridled laughter.

The boat nears the stem, the strands of solid light shining brightly in the Collector's eyes. An adrenaline-fueled smile plasters his face, "I should have listened to you, Ingen! But I survived! I survived!" he yells, the words reaching no man but himself.

The Collector takes one last look at the black, ash-covered land of Kalar. He looks over the edge of the boat, and his eyes widen. The Massor bolts toward him from below, massive jaw open wide to swallow his soul. One second, blood pumps through his body, and the next, it stops. So close to safety, yet so far.

"I should have listened," Krash hisses to himself in a whisper.

The lion-headed Tanzide watches with short breaths as the Massor zips through the sky, a massive, intangible creature of death. That unfortunate soul falls to the land, followed by the boat he had nearly escaped with. Even with the mile between him and dead man, Krash hears an echo of squelching flesh and crashing wood, and he shrinks back into his hiding place.

Krash has shimmied his way into a small opening at the bottom of a volcano. It is only about a mile from the connected volcanos beneath the Stem, allowing the Tanzide to see those who enter and exit the planet.

Holding a bag of Rage Stones with shaking hands, Krash berates himself in his mind. He should have been more skeptical, more cautious. Yoru had spoken an impossibility to him, and despite how much weight the words a woman such as herself hold, Krash had not believed her. He didn't even entertain the idea.

Yet that supposed impossibility now slaps him across the face.

The Tanzide had followed the instructions written by the Head Scribe and found some forty Rage Stones in another cave at the bottom of a volcano a few miles from the Stem. His first sighting of the Massor had not come until his trip back. At that moment, Krash's understanding of the universe and his own self-confidence had all crumbled to pieces.

How did he get here? Krash had spent his youth and early adulthood surrounded by words and pages. He had been useless all of his life, trash compared to his bloodline of warriors and kings. His dreams of visiting other planets had all been crushed long ago, replaced by a duty to serve his brothers.

That had all changed when the Utherians invaded. Suddenly, Krash had become the only one that could save Mammoria. He left to find a way to do just that and found himself visiting Raj, a planet he had dreamed of for years. There, he spoke to a woman that he had boundless respect for, but instead of returning that respect, he threatened her.

It had all been for Mammoria, of course. However, Krash now wishes that he had not been so hasty in his search for a secret weapon. In his hands, he holds something that has allowed the Rajin people to remain free from Utherian rule for years. It could do the same for the Tanzides, but not if he dies here on an Outland Planet.

Krash lays on his back, cave ceiling inches from his face. The tiny cave is barely large enough to fit him and the bag of Stones. His white mane is stained a mixture of black and grey by ash, and the heat trapped by his fur and coat causes him to pant. Usually, a bit of shade would keep him from overheating, but the inescapable heat of Kalar removes that option. For once, he envies the other races' ability to sweat.

Ridiculous, Krash thinks, my brothers were right. After being a cowardly bookworm for all of his life, did he actually think he would be up to this task? If it were one of his brothers, either the king or warrior, they would not be hiding like a scared cub. They would charge forward with all their might, unperturbed by the face of death.

Krash grimaces, slamming his fur-covered fist against the black ceiling in frustration. He opens the bag, and crimson light shines upon his face. The Tanzide pulls out one of the Rage Stones, studying its clean edges and the black substance that swirls inside. Such a small thing, he thinks, yet it has helped an entire race keep their freedom.

Krash holds the glowing stone tight in his hand, laying his head back on the black rock. I need to get out of here, he thinks.

Mammoria needs me.

---

Cage skulks through tall grass near the Collector Village, keeping himself hidden from sight. He had greeted Kyro and Ingen at the gate, and Detor glared at him with his usual anger-twisted expression. Kyro had been carrying a Control Orb, which could only mean one thing; he is going to Kalar.

When passing the men, Kyro stared at Cage for a long moment, gesturing with a tilt of his head toward the Collector Village. He immediately understood the hint.

Cage waited for a moment until the guard and his escort disappeared down the road. Then, much to the woman's frustration, he waved goodbye to Alyra and hurried to catch up with the Rajin men. She and Yoru will scold him later, but Cage has more important things to worry about at the moment.

Cage peeks through the tall, waving blades of grass, watching as Detor speaks to Kyro and Ingen. Cage's hearing has increased ten-fold since waking on Kalar, but not enough to hear the conversation. The three men stand near one of the small boats, which leans against the wall of Kyro and Ingen's hut.

Detor nods to the Collectors, turning and walking away from them. The guard exits the Collector Village as Kyro and Ingen board the boat, Kyro sitting in the back and placing the Control Orb in a shallow divot beside him. Cage glances at the dirt road leading to Yellen, and sees the distant figure of Detor. Feeling like he has waited long enough, Cage runs through the tall grass and toward the Village.

As Cage approaches, Ingen glances at him with raised brows. The massive violet-skinned Rajin looks at Kyro, "I should have known," he says, sighing, "This is what you meant."

Kyro looks at Cage as the black-eyed man halts near the boat, smiling widely, "Ah, there you are! I was going to pay Detor with Rage Stones to find you, but I'm glad I saw you at the gate," he says, speaking as if seeing an old friend for the first time in months, "Climb on in."

Cage furrows his brows in confusion, "What happened to the meeting? I thought it was today?" he asks.

"Actually, we just left the meeting not too long ago," Kyro responds, "It went well, I think."

"And?" Cage says, his lips curling as hope begins to rise in his chest, "You won't be executed?"

"Not if you come with us to Kalar," Kyro says, returning a smile, "You're going to get rid of that Massor. Ingen and I will handle any other monsters that attack."

Cage steps toward the boat, lifting one leg over the edge. He pauses mid-mount, looking at Kyro with an incredulous expression, "What?" he asks. Get rid of the Massor? One of the first things Kyro had told Cage is how impossible that task is.

"Think about it, Cage," Kyro says, urging him to sit with a gesture, "You can absorb everything, even the feeling in a person's limbs. Why wouldn't you be able to absorb a monster made of pure Anima?"

Cage nods slowly. Kyro is more right than he knows, "I fought an Anima user in the city last night," Cage says, "He could summon eels, and I absorbed some of them."

"Well, there you go," Kyro responds, smiling broadly.

Cage pauses, gazing up at Kyro as he sits on the middle bench of the boat, "You seem a little too excited for this," he says, "Let me get this straight; the Epochs agreed to let you eliminate the Massor, and in return you won't be executed. They believed that you would be able to do it?"

"There is only one Epoch. Ludan is his name," Ingen chimes in, "And he never said that we would not be executed. I'm sure he thinks that we are insane and wish to kill ourselves rather than have him kill us. We'll be doing his job for him."

"One Epoch?" Cage turns and glances at Ingen, "The trackers, the Control Orbs, all of that is controlled by one man?"

Ingen nods, "The idea that there are multiple Epochs is completely fabricated. Probably to keep his power a secret."

"If we do the impossible and return after defeating the Massor," Kyro says, "Then Ludan will surely allow us to keep our heads."

"Did you not hear him earlier? We know too much now, he needs us to die," Ingen argues. He stares at Kyro, brows furrowed, "Why are you doing this, Kyro? Why are we risking our lives? Do you still think you owe the people here anything?"

Kyro pauses, returning Ingen's gaze. He sets his hand on the Control Orb, and the boat rises a moment later, those mist-like waves flowing beneath it, "No, Ingen, I don't. But when we finally leave, I want the planet we spent so long fighting for to continue being protected," Kyro says with firm words.

Ingen grunts in response, eyes drifting to the side as the boat lifts far above the Collector Village. Cage glances at Kyro, black hair fluttering in the wind. Gears turn in his mind, and after a moment, an idea pops up. He gasps quietly, "I think I have a plan," he mutters.

"Huh?" Kyro looks down at Cage with furrowed brows.

"I have a plan," Cage responds, smiling, "I know how we can leave Raj with no risk of execution. We just need to survive the Massor."