Mistwoven Healer

Moving as one, Audrey and Kayne land atop a skyscraper stretching high above the Shinara skyline. Both sentinels glow with vibrant power as they prepare themselves for a fight. Audrey's shimmering pink wings are extended wide, and her bow swirls with stardust, while Kayne's entire body burns with violet flames that rage across his massive form.

Despite radiating enough power to give an ordinary person a seizure, the muscular Japanese woman sitting on the other side of the rooftop doesn't seem perturbed in the least at the display. To the two sentinels, Nightsong doesn't even seem to give off an aura of power at all. In fact, even in her rest state, Nightsong is a complete dead spot in their senses.

"I do hope we can talk this out," Nightsong says, looking out over the city instead of back at the two powerhouses ready to strike her down in a moment. "A fight between us would level the city, and while I grew up in Tokyo and not Shinara, I would hate to see this place destroyed."

"You threatened to kill our students," Kayne growls, not seeming the least bit lesser for not having reached A Rank quite yet. Even so, he's well aware that the gulf in power between him and the two women is cataclysmic. If those two exchanged even a single blow… well, entire city blocks could be wiped off the map.

At this, Nightsong just shrugs her shoulders, "Are you interested in why, or do you just want to fight to the death?"

"We know why," Audrey snarls. "You explained as much to Serena."

"I explained what I wanted the Centurions to know to Serena," Nightsong replies casually, finally turning to look back at Shinara's most powerful. "You can feel it now that you're A Rank, right, Audrey? That backer of hers is watching her constantly. Stars, I can feel Centurions watching over nearly the entire city now. If it weren't for my ability to hide from almost all senses, I wouldn't even dare have this conversation without them hearing me."

Audrey swallows, rage still pushing her to act. And yet… she's never known Kyra, or Nightsong, to act in anything other than the best interest of humanity.

"I've felt it," Audrey says, lowering her weapon just a hair. "Why does it matter? The Centurions are our allies, and your actions threaten to alienate them. What would happen if the A Rank council sided against the Centurions after the convergence? Humanity as a species could be wiped out!"

Kyra gives a dry, humorless laugh. "You should have heard what your little apprentice told me, Audrey. She said I could train for a hundred years and still not even come close to the Centurion leadership. Stars, I doubt I even come close to the rabble as I am now. Do you know what that means for humanity?"

Beside Audrey, Kayne lets his flames flare up hot again. "Althia already confirmed that sentinels would be treated like Centurions for the purpose of their laws."

Kyra snaps her fingers and points at Kayne. "Exactly!" she exclaims, hopping to her feet with such casual ease that it nearly looks like levitation. "Sentinels will be treated like Centurions. Stars, maybe even our families, will be. But the rest of humanity… You do understand that once they arrive, humanity is done. At best, we'll be protected as a slave race, and at worst, we'll be wiped out in the crossfire of this pointless war."

At this, Audrey finally lets her bow drop. "And killing my apprentices helps humanity how?" she demands, still angry. However, Audrey is at least willing to begrudgingly admit that Kyra might have a point.

"Not sure that it does, to be honest," Kyra says with a sigh. "The Nine have this city in a vice grip. Barely anything happens here that they don't see. So far as Felix can tell, they're leveraging their connection to your students to push far beyond what should be possible. Killing them would weaken that connection, so we're casting a line to see if anything bites."

Audrey frowns, trying to follow Kyra's logic. Felix, better known as the Architect, is one of the founding members of the Sanctum Collective and the one who likely understands mana and magic better than anyone else on Earth. If he thinks that the Centurions are leveraging Serena and her team…

"Still… why even consider this if killing them would make enemies of the most powerful Centurions in existence?" Audrey asks.

"Because we're fucking dying out, Audrey!" Kyra exclaims, flickering forward to raise an accusing finger at the other A Rank. "At this point, it's not even about stopping someone from taking over but deciding who does! Well, we're fucking done with that! We need to explore every possible option to stop our kind from going extinct!"

Kyra sighs, lowering her hand. "You say that we risk making enemies of the Centurions… you're probably right. But we need to stop thinking of the Centurions' side as our side. The A Rank council is on the side of humanity, and we will do whatever it takes to see us through this crisis. So, if your little students pose a risk to that, you're stars fucking right that I'll kill them. And I won't lose a minute of sleep over it."

"You say that as if we even have a chance to be able to rule ourselves," Kayne says, watching Kyra with hard eyes.

Kayne doesn't know Kyra as well as Audrey does, being further from A Rank himself. However, they've long since had conflicting viewpoints. So far as Kayne is concerned, if the sentinels can survive and thrive in the new world, that's good enough for him. For Kyra and Audrey, though, the survival of humanity as a whole is their greatest concern.

As Audrey approached A Rank faster than him, this conflict between them is what eventually lead to their breakup. Audrey just couldn't understand why Kayne only seemed to feel empathy for sentinels and just ignored the problems of regular people.

To Kayne's surprise, Audrey nods at his statement. "I was at the trial, Kyra, and I sensed Althia's power. There is no standing against that."

"I wouldn't be too sure," Kyra says, giving a sly smile. "Audrey, Felix believes that the convergence will change the Centurions and Volcora just as much as it threatens to change us. Our realities are merging into one, and that is an equal exchange. Right now, the Nine are immortal, unbeatable monsters. After the convergence, though… well, our world will infect them with mortality. We think that the peak of human power, the A Rank sentinels, and the peak of Centurion and Volcora power, their ancient monsters will be equalized after the convergence."

"And you have proof of this?" Audrey asks Kyra, allowing her bow to dissolve into star dust — a fight won't be happening tonight.

Kyra nods, "It's the same thing that happens with the Volcora. On the other side, their strongest are capable of clashing with the likes of Althia. I'm talking about the rare peak A Rank Volcora that comes through from time to time. Upon arriving here, though, they are lowered to the peak of mortal power. Just like we can't go beyond A Rank, neither can they. We can't be absolutely sure the same thing will affect the likes of Althia, but if it does, she'll be severely weakened. If I had to guess, it's why the Centurions send their young to create sentinels instead of trying to cross over themselves the way the Volcora do."

"I'm sorry, Kyra," Kayne says, finally allowing his flames to drop away as well, "but this whole thing sounds far too unlikely. What is your plan? If the Centurions get weakened upon crossing over, and if it's even possible to stand against them, why bother? They are our allies. Each and every one of us has a Centurion companion. Why fight against them?"

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Kyra sighs, turning away to look out over the city once more. Night is falling over Shinara now, and the setting sun casts beautiful golden rays across the shimmering windows of the city. To Kyra's massively enhanced senses, the wonderous sight almost brings tears to her eyes. Right now, this city stands as a testament to human ingenuity, power, and culture, and she desperately wants to see it through the year.

"The idea isn't to fight them, Kayne," Kyra says, her voice sounding incredibly tired. "The idea is to get them to respect us, maybe even fear us a little. They aren't our allies… or at least, they won't be when they arrive in force. Sentinels might be treated as equals, but normal humans will become little better than pets to them. We want them to make us into actual allies that they fear, respect, and rely upon. We need our own territory that we govern, and enough strength that if either Centurion or Volcora make an effort to wipe us out, we can stand strong against them and be done with their war if the Centurions act in bad faith."

"Is that even possible?" Audrey asks, stepping quietly up to the older A Rank.

Despite looking around the same age as Audrey, Kyra was among the first of humanity to become sentinels and stand against the Volcora. Her bond with her familiar halted her aging process at around twenty-two, despite her being well into her forties by now. She was fighting Volcora to the death in incursion zones while Audrey was still in pre-school.

"Yes," Kyra says, "or at least, the council and the brightest minds in the GDF and Sanctum Collective all believe it is. I'm just a sword, so they know much better than I do."

"How do we do it?" Audrey asks, joining Kyra in looking out over the city. The glass skyway tunnels stream with traffic and transports flit around the city airspace, a testament to the millions living here.

"First, we show them that we cannot be bullied," Kyra says. "I'm half tempted to send your little student to America just to prove a point. We will not tolerate our own people using Centurions like Althia as a stunt to win a trial, and we will not tolerate their bullying us down the paths they want."

"As for the bigger picture, though? We know the Centurions have big plans for Japan… what better show of strength can there be than to take this country and make it into humanity's stronghold? We can reap the benefits of all their planning, and they'll be left with no option but to go elsewhere."

"Fighting for Japan against both the Centurions and the Volcora…" Kayne says, stepping up beside the two women. "How do we even make that work?"

"I'm not going to spill all the beans," Kyra says, smiling softly over the city. "But we're going to need every sentinel we can get. I do hope you two have made some progress in tracking down those stolen soul gems."

Kyane grimaces, violet flame flickering around him. "We've hit every Reaver stronghold, hideout, and ally we know about. Not to mention having GDF Soldiers searching every understreet they can think of. We haven't found them yet, but… let's just say the Reavers are running drastically low on manpower."

Ever since the theft of so many soul gems from GDF Headquarters, Shinara suddenly became the single most hostile place to be a Reaver. The city's strongest sentinels and elite tactical forces were officially set loose on the group with orders to arrest and interrogate anyone wearing an arm band and to put down anyone who resisted. Even still, the soul gems haven't yet been found. And, despite all their effort, Kayne and Audrey know why they're having so much trouble.

"There's an overlord in the city," Audrey says, voicing the main problem. "It's clearly an A Rank and powerful at that. We're certain that it's been cloaking wherever they're hiding with the gems, much like how you're cloaking us from the eyes of the Centurions."

Kyra narrows her eyes, "We need those gems. I don't care if I have to personally execute every Reaver loyalist in the country. There are never going to be any more soul gems, and we don't have time for this group and their selfish interests."

"Kayne," Kyra says, turning on him. "Release a public statement countrywide. Tell the Reavers to return the soul gems immediately. Every day they fail to do so, starting tomorrow morning, I'll visit another city and lop off the head of every imbecile with an armband. Also… tell them I'll be starting with Nagano. Let's see if that doesn't light a fire under them while you search."

At this, Kayne grins. "Consider it done, Ma'am."

"Audrey," Kyra says, turning to her fellow A Ranker, "I want you to take over the training of every sentinel in this city. No one rose to power faster than you, and I need every sentinel in this stars-forsaken country following your lead. Also, no more safety nets or training wheels — work them and work them hard. We need A Ranks if we're going to stand tall at the end of the year, not squabbling children. Push them as hard as they'll go and find the diamonds in the rough. Also… make sure your students are on our side. Otherwise, I'll make sure they aren't on anyone's side ever again."

"Finally," Kyra says with a malicious grin, "let's let everyone know that I'm back. The Australian front is looking good at the moment, so it's time to secure our homeland."

Audrey gives Kyra a curt nod, "Understood. But Kyra… if you so much as touch Serena again, I'll put my all into trying to kill you. That's a promise."

Kyra turns her malicious grin on Audrey, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Once Kayne and Audrey depart to fulfill her orders, Kyra returns to her spot at the edge of the rooftop, dangling her legs over the edge. Unlike Kayne and Audrey, Kyra can't actually fly. However, long experience has given her the same casual disregard for massive drops that they have. Even dropping from this height while making no effort to save herself wouldn't kill her — no member of the A Rank council would ever go down so easily.

After waiting a few silent minutes to ensure that the two sentinels have actually left, Kyra silently slips a phone from her inventory and lifts it to her ear. She dials a number from memory before pressing call.

Kyra starts speaking the moment the call is picked up on the other end, "Stage one is complete, and I would say it is a resounding success."

"Oh?" asks a cool woman's voice.

Dancer is the newest member of the A Rank council, having hit A Rank only a few months ago. Her real name is Yendria, but she mostly just goes by Dancer as she gets annoyed whenever people mispronounce her actual name. Unlike Audrey, Dancer met the two qualifications for membership in the council upon her rank-up — the first being an A Rank status, and the second being a nomination from at least three other council members.

Impressively, Dancer earned her sentinel title while still only C Rank, having bested a peak B Rank enemy in single combat. Now that she's A Rank, not even Nightsong is confident in facing her down one-on-one, despite being older and stronger. Luckily, she'll never need to, as she counts Dancer among her closest friends.

"The recruitment of Kayne and Audrey went about as well as we expected," Kyra says into her phone. "Honestly, I expected more push back from Kayne than I got. If he proves himself here, it will earn him a lot of good will for after his advancement."

"And the children?" Dancer asks. "Have you made up your mind on killing them?"

"No," Kyra admits honestly. "They seem nice enough from my time watching them, and I'm willing to bet they'll make great sentinels one day. The trouble is their backers. There's no telling what else the Nine can leverage their connection for. I worry that they are a viper in the nest."

"Hmm," Dancer muses. "Felix just walked into the room. Let's ask him."

A moment later, Felix, the Architect, speaks up. "My opinion is unchanged, Kyra, but you're our boots on the ground, so your words carry a lot of weight. What do you think we should do?"

For a long moment, Kyra pauses to consider the question. What does she want to do? Killing the kids would probably make things a lot simpler, but it would be an open statement of rebellion against the Centurions. In the best-case scenario, the Centurions would still be allies, just not overlords, so killing their children just isn't a great idea.

No, Kyra wants the Centurions to think that she's willing to kill them as a show of strength, but actually following through with it would be an awful idea.

A better idea would be to recruit them, but that honestly won't work either. It would be like bringing a listening device straight into the most important meetings. Unless the kids learn to stop allowing the Nine to use them as proxies, recruiting them just won't work.

"I'd say we don't interact with them at all beyond what I've already done," Kyra says. "Let them be scared of me, and let those nerves transfer over to the Nine. Still, I think we raise them up and see how far they can go. If they end up pushing away the influence of the Nine, they could become powerful allies… I'll think on this more."

For a long moment, the call is silent. Then the voice of Rayon, the Ashen Specter, comes over the line — he must have joined the others in the room.

"Nightsong, continue on with what you think is best. We'll be sending you Dancer for support. Find out what the Centurions are doing and leverage it for our advantage, not theirs," he commands.

Kyra finds herself sitting up straighter at the mere sound of his voice. Even for her, taking the Ashen Specter lightly is the opposite of a good idea.

"Understood," she replies sharply. "Dancer, I'll be seeing you soon."