Nira liked to think she was pretty patient, but this was really getting to her. It’s been days—days—and they’d done nothing. Yorin kept claiming that they couldn’t do anything without risking a full out war with Enor, but Nira was convinced the Eternal had been bluffing when he’d said he’d destroy Irithara.
In fact, he hadn’t done anything, as far as she could tell. Except hover that huge aircraft over Nira’s home. She looked up at it from where she was sitting at the stone steps of some random building, and glared as much as she could. How she wanted to rip that thing apart. But even if she was strong enough to do that, she couldn’t. Not because of Enor’s threat, but because he was refusing to move the aircraft. And that falling down on the city would kill so many people.
And Nira knew he wouldn’t move it any time soon. The constant shadow it cast over the city seemed very intentionally symbolic, and Nira just wanted it gone. The center of Aleara without sun just seemed wrong.
And perhaps worst of all, her father was most likely up there, a prisoner in his own country. Nira refused to believe that he’d just surrender Irithara over to Enor. They had been winning. He’d obviously been forced to capitulate. And until she heard her father’s side of things, Nira wouldn’t believe anything else. And she didn’t care how many times she’d have a fight with Nef about this.
Nira sighed, hugging her knees closer to her chest with one hand and dragging her other hand through her hair. She looked around herself. The streets weren’t all that frequented anymore, even though Enor hadn’t had his soldiers patrol the streets. To be fair, he didn’t need to—the ominous mass of metal above them was enough to scare people. But Nira definitely wasn’t alone here.
Every so often, she’d see someone rush by her alley, which was usually silent. And while Nira usually liked silence, she hated the reason behind this one. She shook her head. At least she could be outside like this, without fearing for her life. Not only was she much stronger than she’d ever been before—though she needed to ask Sylari to give her more power, still, if she ever reappeared—but Yorin had also given her one of the Umbra cloaking devices. Which he’d apparently created a better version of, but Nira didn’t care. As long as it hid her from Eternals, she would be grateful for it.
She had no idea what Enor was up to, what his plan after subjugating the entire Empire was, and honestly she didn’t care. She just didn’t want to lose anyone anymore. Her father was probably right above her, and she could never forget about that fact because the engines powering the aircraft were constantly humming. And even if he wasn’t, the people who had seen him last would know where he was.
If she found a way to get up there, she would go there right this moment, but unfortunately, she hadn’t yet. Yorin had assured her he’d figure something out, but he’d also said that he wouldn’t let her do anything without the invisibility device he and Nef were working on. It was based on whatever the Umbra used to hide their hideouts, but Nira didn’t really care where it came from. She also didn’t like Yorin’s wording. She didn’t need him to let her, she was an adult, and her father was in danger.
Nira blinked away the burning feeling in her eyes. Usually Nef would support her right now, but he’d been so busy sciencing. Nira didn’t want to blame him for that—tinkering was one of his great passions—but it was hard not to. Her entire time in Irithara, she’d missed him, and now that he was here with her, she somehow felt more alone than ever. Like she had no one to talk to.
Though she actually didn’t really have anyone to talk to. Nef was too busy all the time with Yorin, Rayni and Mereria were somewhere searching for Kaleth and Mel, and her father was missing. And now she had nothing to do but think about that over and over and over again.
For no apparent reason, Nira felt like she couldn’t stay here anymore, and so she got up, and started walking aimlessly, the only constant being the humming of huge engines above her. She strolled through semi empty streets, only passing by a few strangers who quickly rushed by or walked slowly without even really noticing her. And Nira barely noticed them in turn.
All she could focus on was that damned humming. As if it was mocking her. She glared up at the aircraft again. She had seen those odd round ‘cars’ fly in and out of it, but she didn’t know where they originated from. This was probably what Yorin’s plan would be for getting inside, but Nira was pretty sure he wasn’t actually planning on telling her anything. He seemed to think he knew best, even though he’d demonstrated he didn’t more than once.
And there was also the whole thing with him believing Enor’s threats. Nira didn’t want to risk more bloodshed, but she was convinced it was a lie. It had to be. In the last few days, the swarm of aircrafts didn’t seem to get more numerous, at least according to Yorin, which meant Enor had either decided that what he had was enough, or that he didn’t have more forces. And Irithara still had a large army, which would go back to battle immediately if Enor attacked again.
A sudden whoosh above her made her look away from the metal monstrosity in the sky. All she saw was a blur of black wings and a tail, and Nira was sure she knew who it was. She ran down the street, doing her best not to twist her ankle on the uneven cobblestone, her new energy greatly helping with her stamina. She didn’t slow down until she heard the unmistakable sound of a dragon landing, which she’d come to know a little too well.
Unsurprisingly, she had ended up at the entrance to Yorin’s lab, and apparently Rayni had already managed to switch forms. From where Nira was standing, partly hidden behind the corner, Rayni looked so sad and worried, her shoulders slumped, as if all energy has left her. It really made Nira forget about her own problems for a moment, and think about Rayni’s instead.
It was obvious they hadn’t found her brother or Kaleth. And Nira was willing to guess they hadn’t found their bodies either. She was about to approach them when they started talking in hushed voices. But of course with her powers Nira could hear them.
“You can’t give up just yet, Rayni,” said Mereria patiently, which was honestly something Nira had not been expecting. She’d had no idea she cared, but right now she really seemed to.
“I’m not, dammit,” Rayni replied, sighing and half heartedly kicking at a weathered wall. “I just have no idea where else to look. We’ve searched the entire southern territory.”
There was a moment of silence, followed by a deep sigh from Mereria. “We haven’t tried looking up there.” She pointed above her at the massive aircraft as she said this. And immediately Nira became even more interested.
Rayni gaped at it for a moment, before jumping up and throwing her arms in the air. “Oh my gods, how did I not think of that?”
“Maybe because it’s ridiculously dangerous, and most likely doomed to fail. Not to mention that it could cause a massacre,” Mereria said, her voice gentle. Rayni seemed to ignore her, though.
“I mean, it would make sense for Enor to capture Kaleth instead of killing him, right? Kaleth could be super useful, or as like someone to study, or something,” Rayni continued, her voice gaining speed as she went. “And Mel could be there too because of that bond. Enor has to know all about that, right?”
“Rayni, slow down,” Mereria said, a bit more firmly. It did seem to work a little. “The chances of us surviving something like this are abysmal. Not to mention that that aircraft is very large, and we have no idea where we would even start searching.”
Rayni looked away for a bit, covering her eyes with her hand, and sighing. “Please, Meri, I can’t not try this.”
There was another short pause as Mereria rubbed the bridge of her nose. “…Fine. But we need a plan first.”
Immediately Rayni already looked much more energetic. “Okay, okay, then let’s go do that. Maybe Yorin has some tips.”
Nira almost walked over to them then, about to ask to join them, but she stopped herself. Maybe she could convince Rayni, but Nira knew she couldn’t convince Mereria. There was no doubt in Nira’s mind that her offer of help would be rejected, and she’d get some assurance that if they find her father, they will bring him home. And that wasn’t good enough for Nira.
She knew she’d screwed up a few times in the past, but she wouldn’t now. And she was strong enough to prove it, but they wouldn’t give her a chance.
Nira watched the two Eternals climb down into the lab, only walking closer once they disappeared out of sight. If she didn’t trust them not to just talk to her like she was a child, she supposed she would have to follow them. Once inside the aircraft, they wouldn’t be able to afford to tell her to go back, and their hand would be forced. Even as she nodded to herself, an uncomfortable feeling filled her stomach. She ignored that though. She had better things to worry about now.
Nira knew that following them inside would get at the very least Yorin suspicious, so she had to stay away. Which annoyed her to no end, of course—she needed to know what Mereria and Rayni might get up to, but she had no choice. So she just waited behind the corner, hoping they would reappear soon enough. A few people passed her, no doubt wondering what she was up to, but the dread the massive aircraft above them spread was probably more important to think about. Nira had almost forgotten about the unbearable humming until then.
Finally, about fifteen minutes later, the manhole cover was pushed aside yet again, and out came Rayni, followed by Mereria a few seconds later.
“Boy, can that Yorin talk a whole lot about nothing,” Rayni said a bit too loudly. Mereria shook her head.
“He talks even more than you do, that is true.”
“Hey!”
Mereria ignored the protest. “However, he told us what we need to know. Those small hovercrafts are flying into the large one from somewhere northwest, so we will head there. Then we can figure out what else to do.”
Rayni sighed, folding her arms and staring at her boots. “Right, right.”
“I know you worry about him, but we can’t rush into this. You can’t help him if you are dead.” Nira was a little taken aback by the bluntness, but it was a fair assessment. “Now, come on, I suppose we shouldn’t waste time.”
Nira nodded to herself. A trail of hovercrafts heading in from the northwest. It wasn’t much but it was a start. Nira was about to follow them when someone tapped her shoulder. She whirled around, prepared to attack whoever it was, but there was nobody behind her. She frowned in confusion, wondering if she was going insane when a familiar voice spoke to her.
“Pretty neat, huh, Nira?”
She frowned harder. There was still no one visible. But there was a certain shimmer in the air when she focused enough to see it. “Nef? Is that you?”
“Yep. I’m a ghost now,” his disembodied voice replied, attempting to sound like a ghost and failing terribly. Oh, of course. He and Yorin must have perfected the invisibility device. The corner of Nira’s mouth formed a tiny smile at the very dumb joke.
“That’s not funny.”
“Yeah, it is,” Nef argued, teasing tone in his voice. “I saw you smile.”
Nira huffed. “Just turn it off.”
He did as he was told, though now he was pouting. Nira wasn’t sure why she did it, but the next second she was kissing him. She just knew that she’d missed this terribly for the last few days. And given how Nef quickly deepened it, he had been missing it too.
After they separated, they just grinned at each other for a while before Nira remembered she needed to leave as soon as possible. Her heart clenched a bit. She wanted to tell him about this so much, but she knew he’d just side with Yorin. And maybe, deep down, she agreed this was maybe too dangerous to attempt, but this was her father. She had to go save him, and no amount of second guessing would change that.
And now she was in the presence of a device that could make her job much easier for her. Nira sighed internally. She would have to trick Nef, and the last thing she wanted was to betray his trust, but this invisibility generator would increase her chances tenfold.
“So, how does this work?” Nira asked, brushed her hair behind her ear, and aimed her gaze at the metal bracelet around Nef’s wrist. It was clearly very prototype-y, given that there were wires and metal parts sticking out of it, and it truly looked like Nef and Yorin had put it together from what they’d had lying around.
“You just push this button,” Nef explained with excitement, pointing at the metal button in the middle of the bracelet. Nira really appreciated the simplicity. If she’d asked Yorin, he would get on a tangent about quantum physics, Nira was sure. “Wanna try?”
Nira really hated how easy this was. “Sure.”
Nef wasted no time putting the device on Nira’s wrist. It wasn’t very comfortable, but that was hardly important. Nira needed to stay hidden on that aircraft.
“There’s still some glitches to work out though. And it’s not real invisibility, just some camouflage via holograms and cameras. Obviously. Because real invisibility is impossible.” Nef then continued to go on about things Nira couldn’t possibly understand, but she didn’t need to.
She pressed the button, staring at her no longer visible hand in wonderment. She could technically see it. The edge of it was blurry and didn’t fully fit in with the world around it, but she wasn’t sure she’d notice this if she didn’t know what to look for. Either way this would have to do.
“Awesome right?”
“Yeah,” Nira replied, no longer able to hide the sadness in her voice. “Awesome.”
“Something wrong?” Nef asked, his worried face like a stab through Nira’s heart.
“I…I’m sorry, Nef,” she forced out, turning around and running the way Mereria and Rayni had left. He called after her, but Nira pretended not to hear him. She didn’t stop until she knew for sure that Nef couldn’t possibly catch up to her. Only once she was sure she’d lost him, she stopped, leaning onto a wall.
This was hitting her much worse than she’d expected, given that she felt exhausted even though her body was full of energy. And she had to use that energy if she wanted to catch up to Rayni and Mereria. Obviously she couldn’t fly, and trying to find Sylari to help her would be a waste of time because even if Nira did, she was pretty sure Sylari wouldn’t help her.
She wouldn’t even bother trying to catch up with them, but there was strength in numbers, and once she was up there with them, they wouldn’t be able to just send her back because that would be more dangerous. Nira didn’t like forcing their hand, but she didn’t think they would listen to her, and she was getting really tired of that.
She wished she knew how to steal a car the normal way, but she now had powers she could use instead, so at least she wasn’t stuck entirely. She would have to conserve her power until at least she got on the aircraft, and even then, she wasn’t looking forward to using Enor’s Eternals to get power. It sounded too risky to her, but she would most likely have no choice. And maybe they wouldn’t expect her to attack them either. She just hoped she’d know what to do once she actually did attack an Eternal. If she didn’t she’d probably get killed.
Yeah that was not helping.
She quickly located a car, knowing that no one would probably care if she stole it right now. It looked a bit beaten up and rusty, but it would still probably fly. The question was if it would fly far enough. Nira had no idea how far away whatever place the small aircrafts were coming from was. But she’d have to take that chance—she couldn’t afford to waste more time.
She grabbed the door handle, using her super strength to break the lock, which turned out to be easier than expected. Nira stared at her own hand for a second before shaking her head and getting in. Now she would have to figure out how to start the thing, but she was hoping her powers would help her out there. Somehow.
She herself didn’t understand how it worked exactly, but what Yorin kept saying wasn’t true, it wasn’t that she wasn’t in control of her powers, they were just very instinctual. It was as if she only subconsciously knew what she had to do.
She breathed out, closed her eyes and put her hand on the dashboard. She focused on the words ‘start engine’ for a moment, fully and completely. And the car listened. Nira smiled to herself, turning off the invisibility for now. And now she would have to head northwest until she found whatever it was she was supposed to find. She looked up at the metal monstrosity above her once more, this time looking at the small aircrafts flying into it every so often.
Nira nodded, steeling herself. She would follow the aircrafts, get onto one of them, and then save her dad. And for once in her damned life, she wouldn’t screw up.
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