Manifest War: The Weapons Within

A cool, fall breeze skated across the grassy terrain of Bermon Village. This quaint and rustic little village was just a few miles north of the Volaire and Arista border. Everyone was outside, enjoying the weather and taking care of their daily tasks. Entering the village from the northern entrance was Ka-leel of Four, checking in on his hometown before reporting back to the Queen.

Ka-leel Markell would often visit Bermon during his off days to help out and give back to his community. He was greatly admired in the village because he was the first one to make it out and really become something great. Ka-leel was by far the strongest Vesta to come out of this region and thanks to his skill, he was recognized and scouted by Queen Janelle Belouis herself to join The Six.

As he walked past various homes and shops, the locals smiled and waved at him, graciously welcoming Ka-leel home. He happily responded with friendly waves of his own as he quickly arrived at his grandmother’s house. He approached the small wooden gate and noticed her watering the purple colored flowers out front, humming a catchy tune softly. Ka-leel quickened his pace as he stepped up to her.

“Grandmother! How are you?” He loudly asked with a big, child-like smile. She looked over her shoulder and revealed the warmest smile he had ever seen.

“Ohhh Ka-leel my sweet, sweet boy. So good to see you again!!” She responded, dropping her waterpot and hugging him tightly. Once she stopped her embrace, she quickly held onto his hands while gazing up at him.

“Oh, let me get a good look at ya!” She admired his chiseled jawline and fit physique. At age thirty-three, he was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. His black skin accented perfectly against his uniform and his tightly wound dreadlocks were the perfect length. Ka-leel’s grandmother couldn’t help but smile at him, being oh so proud of the man that he had become.

“Sooo, are you going to invite me inside?” Ka-leel quipped playfully, wanting her to stop staring at him.

“Ohh yes, yes! Please, do come inside. I baked your favorite meat pie too, it just needs to finish cooling off.” She responded, pulling him along towards the front door. They went inside and Ka-leel took a seat at the wobbly wooden table.

“Has dad still not fixed this thing??” He curiously asked while trying to stabilize it.

“No, not yet. That son of mine can’t focus on one thing to save his life, continually changing his plans. Speaking of which, he and your mother decided to travel to Siestro on a whim last week. No idea when they will be back. I swear, he’s gonna need a good beating when he-.” She ranted loudly before getting cut off.

“I get it Grandma! I’m sure they will be back before you know it. Cut him some slack.” Ka-leel interjected with a hearty laugh and grin, picturing his grandmother’s words. They had a few more conversations before enjoying the exquisitely cooked meat pie together.

“So how have things been in the capital? They have you working hard?” She asked, feeling curious about his line of work.

“It’s been quite hectic. I haven’t had much time to breathe since this Boundless situation cropped up. The Queen has us spread out all over the place and to be quite honest, it isn’t helping much at all.” He replied, taking a big bite of his savory pie.

“Ah that’s right, we do have a new Queen, don’t we? So sad what happened to the previous Queen. Miss Janelle was so kind and good to our family.” Ka-leel nodded as he set his fork down, wiping his mouth with a napkin shortly after.

“Yeah, I really miss Queen Janelle as well. I will forever be loyal to the Belouis family as it is my sworn oath and duty, but even I can admit that Azhane Belouis isn’t comparable to her mother. I understand that she's new to this, but she just seems to be missing that spark and determination you expect from a leader. All of her plans thus far have been filled with nothing but hesitation and I can’t quite figure out why.” Ka-leel replied with a serious tone, fully venting his frustrations.

“Ohh, I’m sure she has her reasons. It’s a big role that certainly isn’t easy to fill. Give the new Queen some time to settle in more.” His grandmother stood from her chair and cleared the empty plates from the table.

Ka-leel continued to sit and ponder his thoughts for a bit, wondering if maybe he was a bit too harsh on Her Majesty. As she placed the dishes in the sink, she curiously posed a request to her grandson.

“Ka-leel, could you be a dear and gather me some more firewood? I just don’t have the energy to go to the woods and carry it all back anymore. I usually have your father do it, but obviously he isn’t here.” She asked while getting ready to wash the dishes.

“Of course! Anything you need and I’ll do it. Don’t worry about any of that stuff while I’m here.” He replied with a determined smile, feeling eager to help out.

“I'll be back within an hour or so.” He gave his grandmother a kiss on the cheek and quickly headed out of the house. Ka-leel made his way down the cobblestone pathways of Bermon Village and came across a group of kids playing outside. They saw him and immediately rushed over with great excitement.

“Ka-leel!! Ka-leel! You’re back!!” They yelled in unison with child-like glee. He stopped and greeted them with a kind smile.

“Hey guys, good to see you all too. Hope you’re staying out of trouble.” He replied, getting down on one knee so he can be at their level.

“Yes, we are!!” They loudly responded, giggling in the process.

They had a brief conversation as the kids asked him all sorts of questions about his journey and wondered what it was like working for the Queen. The kids were in awe of his stories and wanted to be just like him when they grew up. As he talked, Ka-leel suddenly felt someone jump onto his back and wrap their arms around his neck.

He was slightly startled by the sudden assault and he quickly looked behind him. Ka-leel noticed a young girl with short brown hair, tanned skin, and a big gap toothed smile.

“Ka-leel!!” She happily yelled as he stood up, giving her a piggyback ride.

“I was wondering where you were, Layla. How are you?” He warmly responded, spinning slowly in a circle.

“I am good! Heehee.” He placed her back on the ground as he got down to her level again.

“Guess what Ka-leel!!” She exclaimed.

“Tell me, I’m dying to know.” Ka-leel wondered as she giggled, hesitating a bit before responding.

“Today's my birthday!” Layla said while jumping up and down.

“Oh is it?? Well, happy birthday Layla! How old are you now?” His curious smile urged her to continue. Layla giggled again before holding up her hands, showing seven fingers.

“I’m seven now!” Ka-leel couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness overload happening in front of him. He reached into his bag and pulled out a vibrant red ribbon. On the ribbon was the crest of Six etched with a gold fabric. He wrapped it in her hair and tied a neat bow, readjusting it perfectly.

“It’s not much but this is my gift to you.” He softly said with a warm smile. Layla looked at her reflection in a window close by and saw the ribbon flowing in the wind. Her eyes went wide with excitement as she grinned real big, showing off the gap in her front teeth once again.

She hugged Ka-leel tightly while thanking him for the gift, feeling incredibly grateful for it. Ka-leel said his goodbyes and the kids went back to playing as he left the village, heading toward the nearby woods.

A loud crackle could be heard as a large tree fell to the ground, shaking the terrain greatly. Ka-leel was using his Manifest ability to chop trees down with minimal effort.

As a Middle Sapphire Class Vesta with an affinity to Electro, Ka-leel of Four had the ability to magnetize and manipulate metals. His Manifest, Cobalt Shift, was a trio of small metal orbs that he could manipulate in a plethora of ways.

He stood there as these three silver spheres rapidly flew around, cutting down trees like butter. Once a few trees were knocked down, the orbs became liquid-like and suddenly transformed into large axes. The Manifest proceeded to chop and evenly cut them up into equal pieces of firewood.

With how efficient they were at cutting and separating, one would think Ka-leel had some kind of roaming assembly line at his disposal. Roughly forty minutes of this process had gone by and Ka-leel felt that he had enough wood now, so he commanded his Manifest to stop and change shape.

The three orbs combined to make a large bowl-like platform. He filled it up with the wood and the bowl lifted off the ground, hovering behind Ka-leel as he started his walk back to Bermon.

As Ka-leel got close to the edge of the woods, he noticed a billow of smoke off in the distance, peaking through the thinning tree line. He was confused at the sight and began to quicken his pace, not knowing what to expect. Once he fully exited the woods, he realized that the smoke was coming from the village. Many of the buildings were lit ablaze with vibrant fire, and faint screams could be heard.

In a panic he dropped the firewood and his Manifest swiftly transformed into a flat, metal platform. He jumped onto this new form as it rose into the air, quickly flying off towards the burning village.

The smoke became thicker as he approached, feeling the heat emanating from the fires. He went through the entrance to Bermon Village and saw black armored soldiers with pale skinned faces, cutting down defenseless locals like cattle. Ka-leel leapt off the silver platform and his Manifest immediately shifted back into three orbs.

The orbs flew at the soldiers with incredible force, blowing through their armor and piercing their bodies before exiting out the other side. Cobalt Shift's attacks were swift and precise, killing the soldiers instantly. Ka-leel then aimed his hand at another group of soldiers, causing them to get flown back by an invisible force. They slammed into the wall and were crushed by their own metal armor as Ka-leel manipulated it to his will.

He rushed over and helped some civilians to their feet, urging them to run for safety out of the village. He then commanded one of his orbs to follow the group and protect them from any oncoming danger. It swiftly left the trio and began circling above their heads in a clockwise motion, directing the civilians away from the village.

While they ran away, Ka-leel effortlessly took down soldier after soldier as he got closer to the city center, frantically looking around for survivors or people in need of help.

Just as he saved an elderly man, Ka-leel got a large object thrown in his direction. His Manifest acted on its own and grew exponentially, flattening out and curving around him to block the sudden assault. The object splashed against the shield and ran down like thick water.

“Mud??” Ka-leel thought to himself, confused by the wet dirt he saw. Ka-leel looked over to his right and noticed a pale skinned man with three eyes, holding an interesting looking sword. Under his eyes were thin lines racing down to his jaw line and even though he was of average build, Ka-leel could sense his immense strength.

Upon facing this person, he immediately knew they were a Boundless, but this was his first time officially coming across one so powerful. Ka-leel glared at him with great disgust as he turned around, feeling highly annoyed that these savages attacked his peaceful hometown.The two sized each other up as the fall wind blew intensely, raising the tension to incredible levels.