Inverse System

The previous day…

Clyde and Xenia were on their way back to the Hasbin gulf, opting to take the teleporter at Almes for a swifter arrival. After Rein had taken on their request, he ordered them to head back to the gulf and wait for him there, for a meeting that he was planning.

An awkward air lingered between the 2 as they walked, Xenia trying to get her mind off of it by kicking a pebble in front of her as she stepped. They continued like that until about halfway to the teleporter, when Clyde coughed, breaking the silence.

"Look, Xenia… I apologize for what I said and how I acted," Clyde put his head down in shame, which startled the girl, frantically waving her hands in front of her in embarrassment.

"Oh, no no no! You don't need to apologize!" She panicked, regaining her composure with a warm smile. "You were in the right after all. Normally, we shouldn't put our work on someone else. But since it was Rein, I felt we'd really get in the way if we stayed, so I thought it'd be better if we left. But it was really cool that you wanted to stay back and help him!" She turned her head to him with admiration, Clyde turning his face away as their eyes met, with a shocked expression on his face.

"Still… That doesn't change the fact that my actions may have hurt you, despite it not being my intent," he came out with while averting his gaze, which made Xenia open her mouth in astoundment, then laugh innocently, beginning to walk with her head up to the sky.

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"Thanks for worrying about me, but really, I'm fine. Still though…" She furrowed her eyebrows, then ran in front of Clyde, looking at him with a stern expression. "I have something to tell you, Clyde," she stopped him in his tracks, standing in front of him, forcing him to look at her.

"Wh-what is it?" He nervously asked, knowing what she was about to say.

She took a deep, calming breath, then began fiddling with her hair, small patches of red appearing on her cheek, Clyde noticing it, which confirmed his theory. His mind began turning, trying to think of a way out of the situation. He was thinking of any way to change the subject, anything that would avert the course that the conversation was taking.

"U-um… Clyde, I…"

He closed his eyes, bracing himself to hear what she had to say, his pained expression indicative of his inner struggle, not wanting to hurt her, yet not wanting to reciprocate her feelings, deeming himself unworthy of love.

Suddenly, through his closed eyes, he heard something collapse on the ground infront of him, making him instantly open his eyes in worry. He looked down to see Xenia, who was red in the face, curled up on the floor under him.

"Xenia!? What happened?!" He instantly crouched down and held her up in his arms, feeling her forehead for a temperature. "She's… Not burning up at all? What is this..?" He asked himself in confusion, Xenia breathing heavily under him.

He suddenly felt her tug on his vest, then utter something in a quiet voice.

"The gulf… Go to the gulf…" She uttered.

Clyde nodded his head, thinking that she wanted to go to the gulf to rest, or for medical attention. But the truth was far worse than what he thought. She knew something Clyde didn't.

Clyde lifted her up, then ran full speed towards Almes, activating his Spring to boost his speed further as he sprinted through the trail. He made it to Almes within 5 minutes, and without any hesitation, ran through the bar that Rein's acquaintance ran, no questions asked, and went to the back room with the teleporter.

"Come on…" He impatiently tapped his foot on the teleporter under him, trying to make it go by faster.

It eventually enveloped the 2 in azure light and transported them back to the teleporter pad in the Hasbin gulf.

As Clyde emerged and gazed upon the city, he let out a sigh of relief and looked back down at Xenia, who was in his arms.

"We're here now," he told her, making her turn her head out into the peaceful cave city. "It looks like everyone's still awake, thankfully. I'll take you to Raxo for treatment," Clyde said as he stepped out of the small grove where the teleporter was, Xenia immediately grabbing onto his collar in distress, her breathing speeding up exponentially.

"Above… Us…" As she said that, Clyde heard a booming, reverberating explosion that rung dread into his ear, his pupils shrinking in distraught as he turned his head to where the sound came from.

From the center of the cave, a large, circular hole was made from the ceiling of the cavern, causing mountains of water to flood through from the gulf above. Panic began roaring through the city as people fled their homes, Clyde looking over the destruction from the small hill on which the teleporter was on. After the cavern floor was flooded with seawater, the pumping waterfall from above suddenly stopped, causing the cavern to grow silent for a short period of time, all of the panic dying down in place of visible confusion at the sudden stoppage. However, what flooded through that hole next was something much worse than water.

A loud war chant could be heard roaring from above, interrupting the short moment of silence they were experiencing. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers wearing Econican armor flooded through the incision, all of them landing unscathed, then instantly running into the city with hostility, slashing and cutting through any civilians in their path.

"Wha… What's happening..?" Clyde stepped back in terror as he felt Xenia tug on his shirt once again.

"Back… through… the teleporter… Warn Rein…" She told him, to which he looked down at her in bewilderment, terror still written on his face as he fearfully nodded and ran back towards the teleporter.

However, he was suddenly interrupted as azure light filled the very teleporter he'd just entered, a man wearing all green garments appearing through it.

"Sorry kid, but you're not going back…"