Dropping The Ball

Alyra opens her eyes slowly, a white marble wall meeting her blurry vision. She lies on her stomach, arms tucked beneath her pillow, one leg raised to her stomach, the other straight out.

She rises to her elbows, wincing, "Ohhh..." she groans, holding her thumping head. It feels as if her brain is beating against her skull, trying its hardest to break out. Alyra huffs, slowly removing the covers from her body and throwing her legs over the side of the bed, one hand to her head all the while.

Alyra remembers sitting with Cage the night before, teaching him about Vas and Anima. Then, it's just blank. She doesn't even remember getting in bed, much less if she had done anything embarrassing last night. She probably did. When Alyra drinks, she never fails to act in the most brazen way possible. There are plenty of stories that have been told to her the next morning after drinking, all of which she has no memory of.

Usually, Alyra would just laugh it off, a bit embarrassed. However, she can't just laugh at last night.

Yoru had asked Alyra to take a few books on magic and sub in for her with Cage's lesson. Even now, she has no doubt that the Head Scribe had ulterior motives in asking Alyra to do this. Her and Yoru have always confided in each other about everything, even Alyra's new crush.

Alyra remembers when she first met Cage. He was and still is a bit mysterious, strange even. However, his presence was comforting for some odd reason. He was soft-spoken, genuine, and quite handsome. Those black eyes of his had disturbed Alyra for a moment, but as she blurted out accidentally, she found herself drawn to them soon after.

Cage's lack of an arm doesn't bother Alyra one bit, which she knows would be a problem for a lot of other women.

By the end of the registration process, Alyra found herself wanting to meet Cage again, but thought better of it. Sure, he seemed like a good person, but as Alyra has learned time and time again, many people are not what they appear to be. She didn't want to get her hopes up, just for them to be dashed away by another terrible relationship.

However, days later, Alyra met Cage again, and this time with Yoru. She was surprised by their relationship, to say the least, and her heart dropped when she thought that the two had become romantically involved somehow. She soon learned that this was not the type of relationship they had.

This surprise caused a change in thought for Alyra. If there is anyone in this life that Alyra trusts, it's Yoru. And as proven by her mass recruitment into the Scribe Office years ago, the Head Scribe is a good judge of character. If Yoru believes that Cage is a good person, then Alyra can't help but do the same.

After all of this, last night was meant to be her first real attempt at romance with Cage. She wanted to talk to the man, and maybe lessen the mystery behind him.

Alyra has found over the years that a drink always makes a conversation more interesting, and she thought it would do just that last night. However, her plan was quickly foiled. Cage didn't even touch his glass and Alyra, like always, had become engulfed in sweet Moonfruit wine.

Suddenly, the door to the room opens. Alyra looks over with hazy eyes and dishevled hair, finding Yoru standing in the doorway with a hand on her hip. The Head Scribe is already dressed, wearing her trademark form-fitting white dress with flower embroidery over the left breast.

"Well, hello, Ms. Bird Mother," Yoru says with a wide smile. Her silver spear earring reflects the sunlight leaking through the window at the side of the room.

"Hi," Alyra says, rubbing her temples. It takes her a moment to register Yoru's words. She looks at the Head Scribe, eyes squinter "Bird Mother? What?" she asks.

Yoru laughs, "Get dressed. The Scribe Office opens in an hour," she says, still giggling, "And do something about that hair, or Bird Mother will really stick."

"Okay..." Alyra responds, confusion leaking from her mind, "Why are you calling me that? What did I do last night?"

Yoru only laughs, much louder this time. She turns, closing the door behind her and leaving Alyra to stew in her confusion.

Alyra sighs, rubbing her temples with a little more force, "Great..."

---

Ingen stands with his arms crossed, Warhammer standing on its head before him. Towering trees surround him, the wind blowing between them and across his violet skin. Colorful leaves litter the dirt and low grass under his bare feet, and more fall from above to join them.

Ingen has always had mixed feelings about his ridiculous size. Passing through a doorway is a gamble for him, and there are even some places that he can't enter at all. His food intake is much more than that of anyone he knows, and no matter how much he eats, his stomach is always growling at him within a few hours.

There are benefits to Ingen's hulking size though. Some may call it intimidating or threatening, but he isn't fond of these labels. Ingen likes to think that his size merely demands respect. It only becomes threatening when he has to use it, and given the right circumstances, Ingen has no problem doing just that.

Another benefit is Ingen's range of vision. It's difficult to sneak up on someone when they can see you coming from a mile away, no matter what sorry excuse for cover you're using. And right now, that gift of vision range allows Ingen to enjoy the sight before him to the fullest.

Several meters away, Cage battles a Skoan with everything he has. While Ingen has no interest in fighting unless he is forced to, he has come to enjoy watching Cage struggle against nature. It's incredible how much the one-armed man has improved in the short time he has been training.

Cage still only has the strength of a Rajin child, however, that is much better than what it used to be. His speed is growing at a ridiculous rate, and when Ingen sparred with Cage earlier, the Rajin almost had to move from his spot a few times. And with every beast absorbed, Cage only grows stronger, faster, and more aware of his surroundings.

Cage still has that old habit of tunnel vision, which is both a gift and a curse. The curse is lightening though, as even in that trance-like state, he seems to pay more attention to his surroundings. Kyro has always had the same ability of extreme focus, the only difference between the two being Kyro's ability to switch in and out when he wishes.

Cage dodges a charge from the Skoan, causing the black armored beast to sprint straight for Ingen. The Rajin sighs, unfolding his arms and catching the Skoan. His massive hand easily wraps around the beast's throat. Ingen throws the Skoan, sending it tumbling across the forest floor.

Ingen looks at Cage and meets his black eyes with a raised brow, "You can't dodge forever," he says.

Cage stares back, panting, wiping the sweat from his brow with his wrist, "I know," he responds. He holds the same sword from yesterday and wears a dark blue robe. Cage may have worn different attire, but it's still covered by the same dirt as before. Only this time, long gashes have been added to the mix, caused by the Skoan that now charges toward him again.

Ingen watches as Cage resumes his battle with the Skoan, trying to get in close enough to paralyze the beast, without having his face clawed off, of course. It's a terrible match-up, Ingen thinks. Those scales that cover the Skoan's entire body make Cage's sword utterly useless. Cage does win out in speed, but not enough to safely avoid a bite or claw.

The Skoan charges again, and this time, Cage stands his ground. Ingen furrows his brows, what is he planning? Cage's incessant dodging is not the right strategy, but that doesn't mean he should just take the charge head-on, Ingen thinks.

Suddenly, Cage leaps straight into the air, the sword in his hand swallowed by those strange black tendrils. The Skoan passes under him, and as it does, Cage throws his palm out, facing the beast. The solid darkness appears again, flowing from his palm and right shoulder.

The tendrils bolt forward at a speed that Ingen has never seen from them. As the Skoan skids to a stop, the tendrils reach it, wrapping around all four legs of the beast. The Skoan falls as the tendrils slither back to Cage a moment later, lying on its stomach with its legs outstretched around it.

The Skoan stares at Cage with nearly the same black eyes as his own, whimpering as he walks over. Cage arrives before the beast, and it snaps at his ankles furiously, a futile attempt to catch its opponent off guard. Cage chuckles, looking down and meeting the eyes of the Skoan.

He lifts his only hand above the beast, palm facing outward. Those tendrils appear again, forming a massive sphere from Cage's palm. The sphere, which is at least twice the size of the man, transforms as the tendrils peel back to reveal a giant boulder.

The boulder falls instantly, slamming down on the helpless beast with a skin-crawling crunch, blood and organs launching from under the boulder. Cage touches the boulder and the tendrils appear to erase it from reality once again, revealing the smashed body of the Skoan, brain matter, blood, organs, and broken black shards of armor strewn everywhere.

Ingen walks over as Cage bends down and absorbs the beast, "Was that...?" Ingen asks.

Cage turns to look at the Rajin, a smile on his lips, "The boulders used for torture on Collectors," he says, "I went ahead and took all of them since no one was looking."

Ingen nods, chuckling, "Good job," he responds, "The guards will find more though. They seem to like that form of torture."

"I know," Cage responds, smile widening, "But it'll annoy Perlo, and that's enough for me."

Ingen laughs, his loud bellow echoing through the web of trees surrounding them, "Good, good! That old man needs some annoyances in his life!" he says.

Cage chuckles with him. Obviously, his main goal with absorbing the boulders was to have a way to deal with the plethora of armored beasts here, which worked out just as he had hoped. However, thinking of Perlo's discomforted expression when he wonders who stole several ton boulders, fills Cage with joy. He knows it's childish, but until Cage can end the Guard Captain's life like he wants to, this childish game will do.

Cage and Ingen begin to walk from the forest, sunlight shining down on them from between the tree tops. Ingen glances down at Cage, who only looks forward as he walks, his clothes and black hair in a disheveled state, "Did you tell her?" The Rajin asks, eyes drifting to the path ahead.

"She already knew," Cage responds.

"I figured," Ingen says, "Yoru is too paranoid to not have thought about it."

"She definitely is," Cage agrees, "But she's coming up with a plan for us to break you and Kyro out. We won't let you two die, no matter who threatens your life."

Ingen pauses. If Cage really does try to save him and Kyro, then he will almost certainly die in the process. That is, if Cage can even die. Ingen has seen the man's bones shift within his body, reconstructing themselves after breaking. Plus, every scratch and bruise on the man's body heals within minutes. It makes the accelerated healing of a Rajin look like child's play.

However, even with the high chance of failure, Cage's proclamation put's Ingen at ease, "Thank you," The Rajin says, glancing down at Cage and meeting his black-eyed gaze, "It is comforting to know that not everyone has given up on us. And Kyro, he will not say it, but he appreciates your presence."

Cage nods slowly, brows furrowing, "Why is that? I haven't done much to earn that. Not yet at least," he responds.

"But you have," Ingen responds, "Have you ever thought about why Kyro has no children of his own?"

Cage raises a brow, "Not really. I mean, you don't have any children either," he says.

"Because I am not a fatherly person. I... I could not handle a child," Ingen says, surprised by his own words. Having a child has always terrified Ingen. To be responsible for another living being, to constantly worry about the infinite dangers that threaten the child's life, Ingen has always feared that he would fail if given the chance. He has never spoken this insecurity out loud, but it has tortured him throughout his adult life.

Ingen sighs, shame worming into his mind. He is afraid of having a child, yet Kyro... "Kyro is different. He is, and always has been, the definition of a fatherly man," he says, "Mavyl's father died in battle when he was but a child. And Kyro, he did not hesitate to fill that role in the boy's life. He truly enjoyed being a father, and Mavyl loved him. The boy knew that Kyro was not his real father, but that did not dampen their relationship in the slightest."

Cage listens quietly. He had always seen that Kyro was meant to be a father, but he did not know the extent of that trait. Still, something confuses him, "If Kyro wanted to be a father, then why didn't he have his own children?" he asks.

Ingen purses his lips, taking a deep breath through his nose, "Kyro married when he was sixteen, two years after he became a soldier. They tried again and again to conceive a child, but with no luck. Kyro and the rest of us thought that perhaps it was just a fluke, and that they should keep trying until they succeeded. But after Kyro, me, and Mavyl became Collectors, we found out what the problem was."

"When Kyro became a collector, his marriage was automatically void. His former wife, the person he had spent years with, moved on. A few months ago, that woman had a child with another soldier."

Cage's eyes widen slightly, and his eyes drift to the ground, "So... He can't have children at all?" he asks.

"Not at all. He is incapable," Ingen says, looking down at Cage, a slight smile on his lips, "Mavyl became his son, and now, you have too. You may not have chosen this, but you are important to Kyro now."

Cage nods, smiling, "I'm glad. I was beginning to think that I don't belong with you all," he says.

"I have thought the same at times. After all, I am not blood-related to Kyro and Yoru," Ingen replies, "But those are idiotic thoughts, for the both of us. If you prevent our death, then Kyro and I will follow you. We'll be together for a long time."

Cage's smile widens, "Kyro agreed to come with me?" he asks.

Ingen nods, chuckling, "As I said though, you'll have to keep us alive first."