Dawn bloomed over the outskirts of the forest, leading up towards the entrance to Qliphos, one of the major dominating cities of METIS. The capital was widely regarded as the powerhouse of all military, subsequently as powerful both offense and defense. Not a single Rot was seen in a hundred-mile radius from its heavily strict regime imposed on neighboring cities and governments, all mutually aligned to repel and neutralize all threats.
But with such military protection enabled among the other cities, there were other unperceivable threats from the one enabling it. A strict set of rules dictating that all cities must forfeit their lands to Qliphos's rule indicated that their profound freedom would not last. Jobs were lost to Qliphosians, and those who even were hellbent on surviving only worked for Qliphos's military, despite not having the energy to exert physical force or the bravery to maintain the peace through execution of the Rots.
Regardless, thousands of lives have been lost in regards to safety, which was a serious diplomatic motto used to entice control over the cities. It was used as a form of manipulation, believing that their strict form of control was justified.
Run by a distinct council of seven, the fabled ones responsible for it all, remained as shadows in the darkness with their faces never to be seen.
Amidst the forest, Szene and Claire strolled off-road, admiring the scenery despite the hold that Qliphos had on on them.
"I had an epiphany," Claire said as she pushed against the foliage from the trees sweeping against her face. "That the warring nations across METIS would be able to agree on something so that your homes can be free. I pray every night for it, hoping I can be free too."
"Then I guess you understand why the others don't like Qliphosians," Szene said. "You're hopeful, but even I doubt the other shits from outside can stop Qliphos. They're too strong."
"I haven't been to the capital myself," Claire said, stopping midway in her tracks. "But the others consider myself a Qliphosian. Are they... telling the truth? Even if my parents aren't from there?"
"No idea," Szene said, shrugging. She then changed the subject, interested in Claire's background. "But I don't wanna talk about that, ew, none of that. I wanna talk about what you did to that man's leg. I thought..."
"I'd rather not..." Claire shyly stated, hiding her face away.
"I thought it was so fucking cool!" Szene confessed, pointing at her face. "I mean, look at my eye! You know what, I always say, karma gets to you. He was about to blame your shit for something you weren't even responsible for. Eye for an eye, I guess."
"I... I never use it," Claire whispered, moving away from Szene with cautionary practice. "I don't want to use it. I wish it never came to me in the first place."
"What is it?" Szene laughed, approaching Claire with a brimming smile. "I mean... where did it even come from? How do you even react to waking up one day with that?"
"You're acting as if it's a gift!" Claire exclaimed, clutching her palms together in nervousness.
Szene giggled and leaped up a tall autumn tree, gracefully landing from branch to branch until she hung off of it upside down. Her bob dangled down as she smiled radiantly. "Gift or no gift, you have to admit, it's pretty cool," She said. "I dream of a day where I can make anyone I hate vanish like that, and back where I live, it's super common, I'll admit."
"A sour reputation," Claire stated, parting her brown hair back. "Why?"
"Why?" Szene flipped around and landed on her feet, shaking the leaves around her. "Because I'm tired of being bossed around all my life. If I look weak, others will take that and exploit it. If I look tired, others will sneak up on me. And if I look too feminine, boys, boys, and boys, y'know what I mean?"
"No... I don't know what you mean..." Claire confessed.
"Boys? No?" Szene approached Claire and shook her shoulders from behind. "You're cute enough. Way too cute, actually."
"Stop." Claire said.
"Am I wrong?"
"I said, stop." She repeated, slapping Szene's hand away gently.
"See, you did it again!" Szene pointed out Claire's inability to dissolve her hand. "You admit it! It's something you can choose to do or not!"
"Stop it!" Claire cried, rushing away from Szene. She rushed behind a tall tree and sat underneath it, clasping her eyes with her palms. Sparrows from around Claire twittered and flew across near her shoulders, resting atop a branch with their children by their side. Claire looked at them briefly, admiring their beauty.
Szene slowly moved beside her, resting her back beside the tree. She placed her hands behind. "I'm sorry," She apologized. "I know this probably doesn't mean anything, but I'd like to confess something. Magic's all just too surreal in my boring life. When I was young, I'd dream about it all the time. Only, I wish it was some kind of magic that could whisk me away from my home and onto something more peaceful. Definitely not Qliphos, obviously. But... I have dreams. Dreams I wish I could accomplish."
Claire's eyes widened as she glanced over at Szene. She then glanced at her palms and clasped them together in prayer. She closed her eyes and chanted a short unknown aspiration before opening her eyes again. When she did, Szene startled her by placing her face directly in front of Claire's, cackling like a clown after hearing her high-pitched squeal.
"Stop it, I was praying for you!" Claire yelled, pouting in annoyance.
"Haha, you're way too funny," Szene teased before crossing her arms. "I like you, Claire. You seem all too innocent in all this... this battle between our nations. And with that, I just feel like you're someone who I need to protect."
"But we're from different nations," Claire said. "And who said I needed protection?"
"I do," Szene said, looking away from Claire's face. "And you couldn't even tell if you were a Qliphosian or not. So, I want to make it my second dream then; to give you a life where you won't have to worry about your powers ever again, and we can use them for good, okay?" She dove in and clasped Claire's hands together in confidence, watching as Claire's eyes were inspired by her new profound goal.
Despite it all, Claire still dove her eyes to the ground in a horrendous expression. "It's nothing but a curse..." She whispered. "There's absolutely no good from this."
"A curse?" Szene added.
"Do you want to know the truth about me, Szene?" Claire said, lifting her head up from rest.
"Okay, sure, what's the truth about Claire?"
Without saying another word, Claire lifted her left hand and placed it over her right shoulder. Szene had noticed her doing the same action previously, despite having no true reason to doing so.
"I… I… never mind." Claire stuttered, standing up and turning away.
"Oh, hell no," Szene chuckled and dug her fingers into Claire's weak sides, trying to tickle the information our of her. "You can't just start that and not finish it."
"I'm not starting anything," Claire corrected, smacking Szene's hands away. "I was… hesitant. Then I realized I didn't want to anymore. It would… it would change everything."
Szene paused and nodded, stepping away from her while acknowledging her wishes. "Okay. Fair enough. But if you plan on being my friend… totally understand how we can't keep too many secrets." She said.
"Szene, right?" Claire asked quickly, placing her hands behind her back in nervousness.
She swayed from side to side, apathetic to the next thing she might have uttered.
"Miss Claire." Szene replied.
"I was wondering… and I know this sounds selfish, but if not, I understand. But… would you take me back to your home for tonight?"
"Huh?"
"Sorry," Claire instantly said, blushing as she continued to sway. "I know that seemed fast, but I'd just like to be away from home for now. If you don't mind."
"No, it's… it's sudden, but…"
Another set of rustling leaves seized control of the two, prompting Szene to snatch Claire's thin arm to pull her down to the ground. The two of them hid behind a tall tree as Szene masterfully tracked down the origin of the noise; several meters away down a gilded path near the outskirts of Qliphos was a large stone barrier that served as one out of many line of defenses against intruding nations.
Claire gasped in horror as Szene failed to react to what they had witnessed.
A single mechanized war machine, a battle droid made of black iron and steel, stomped through the dirt tracks beside the road, leaving behind a trail of deathly destruction. The droid was clad with black metal plates with dark gold trims across its arms and chest plate, equipped to the teeth with retracted saw blades and shouldered with heat-seeking missile cartridges closed, yet ready to fire. A single gold slitted eye was sign that it was always watching, even the slightest movement within the shadows could be sensed and pinpointed precisely.
Yet the most terrifying detail of them all was the influence of the Rot within the droid that enhanced its longevity and endurance. Small red Rot tendrils seeped out of the droid's chest plate and spilled out like strands of intestines, flailing in droplets of blood with each step that it took. Fleshy pink skin lined the ridges of the sturdy chest plate, seemingly pulsating to signal a beating heart beneath the metal. And each step shook the roads around them, sending the wildlife frolicking away believing danger was nearby.
"What are those...?" Claire whispered.
"Battle droids..." Szene replied, but seemed confused at the sight of it all. "Patrolling the outskirts of Qliphos...? That's never happened before... and what the hell are those things on it...?"
From the corner of her eye, Szene caught two unknown figures approaching the droid from behind. They seemed to be conversing about something private, but she could not hear anything. She deduced it was also too risky to move closer to hear because of the threatening battle droid's laser-accurate vision.
Yet it was possible to make out what the individuals were wearing. One of them was an elderly man who wore royal blue robes that dangled all the way down to the dirt, and the other was extremely familiar to Szene.
"Why the hell is the major of our city talking to a Qliphosian...?" Szene whispered, piqued at the frustrated sight of it all.
"That's your mayor...?" Claire whispered.
"Shh, get down." Szene called.
After several seconds of the two chatting with one another, the battle droid took point and disappeared from sight along with them. Minutes passed, and Szene and Claire were able to safely escape from hiding and moved away from the outskirts of Qliphos.
"That was close," Szene said, gasping for air after checking for suspects or intruders around them. "What could they be talking about that needed a droid like that beside them? No... could they be wanting to silence anyone who even knew about that meeting?"
"I... I don't know," Claire confusingly stated, dusting her white patterned skirt off. "I've never seen anything like that before."
"How?" Szene asked. "You're from Qliphos. There's military personnel everywhere."
"Right..." Claire corrected, eyes trailed down at her heels. "Then... I guess I must have forgotten how they looked like."
"Forgotten...? How could you - wait... you're-"
Before Szene could confirm her suspicions, a final rustle appeared behind Szene. An unknown figure wearing a leather tunic and buckled pants reached out and snatched her by the throat, locking her into a tight chokehold. Claire gasped and darted to the side, unaware and afraid of what to do.
"One snap, and you're dead." The tall and muscular figure's deep and coarse voice could sand off an entire block of wood with how powerful it reverbed throughout the forest.
"You got me, old man." Szene said, raising both of her hands in the air and surrendering.
Claire watched as the man released his grip on Szene. She backed off next to Claire with a distasteful and sour expression, purposefully avoiding eye contact with the bearded muscular figure. Claire locked her hands together and held them tightly near her face, unaware of what was happening.
"You should be lucky I did," The man replied, staring down upon Szene. "You're lucky I don't ground you right now for what you did at the plantation. Huh? Pirelle and Mossen? Losing a sack of our orders? That was supposed to be for Qliphos, and you should have reported back as soon as the boys returned home."
"Fuck, those boys never shut up..." Szene muttered underneath her teeth.
"And what did I say about cursing?" The man seemingly caught Szene in the act.
Szene sighed.
"I'm sorry... but-" Claire began, hoping to calm the conflict down.
"Stay out of this." The man strictly stated.
"Hey, don't talk to her like that," Szene intervened, stepping in front of Claire to defend her. "She had nothing to do with this. If you wanna get angry, get angry and me and Mossen. Besides, he was the one who lost the sack."
"And you're the one the boys are counting on to follow," The man continued. "You should have thought of a better plan in case things went to hell."
"Oh, so now it's my fault?" Szene yelled, shoving the man with her index finger. "You always say that it's my responsibility to protect Pirelle and Mossen, but where the hell is my protection? Huh? Have you ever done any of that, Thatcher?"
"I have been protecting you, but you never want to come home!" The man named Thatcher yelled back. "And don't call me that."
Szene scoffed and moved away from the two of them down an inclined dirt path. "Whatever, old man. I'm out of here." She responded with an ill-mannered temper and attitude to her demeanor.
"Szene! Get back here now!" Thatcher rose his coarse voice at her, but she didn't react a single inch. Claire watched as Thatcher was about to rush after her, but gave up with a hefty sigh. He then glanced over at Claire with a friendly smile, which surprisingly made Claire realize he wasn't a villain after all. "Sorry about that. My daughter... can be a bit brash at times."
"You're her father?" Claire asked.
"In the flesh," He said. "They call my Thatcher, but you can call me Old Man. That's what everyone calls me, anyway."
"Old man..." Claire's accented voice came through to him, as more apparent the more they spoke. "Right."
"And who are you exactly, young lady?" Thatcher asked, examining Claire's attire. "Such colorful clothing. You don't exactly stand out as part of our village. You're not a Qliphosian, are you?"
"I... I am," Claire stuttered.
"Well, that's great news. We don't get too many visitors from Qliphos in our village after... well, you know. But I've lived here with Szene and the boys for years and I've never seen you around."
"It's... my first time in these parts." Claire said, dodging most of the question away.
"Hm," Thatcher replied, crossing his arms. "Well, you certainly made Szene put up a bit of a fight there. I've never seen her get so defensive like that in a while, maybe ever." He chuckled over the thought of the past for a moment. "What's your name?"
"Claire," She introduced. "I'm Claire."
"Claire, huh," Thatcher shook his head, approaching her with a smile in hand. "Well, you certainly must be special to her."
"We've only just met." Claire said, laughing briefly.
"Even better." He replied, looking at Szene from a faraway distance with Claire. They witnessed her standing beside a flowing rapid, taking a long break from the madness occurring around her in such a short amount of time.
Despite their heated debate earlier, Claire found herself watching Thatcher grinning widely. She didn't quite understand the sensation among his smile, but after piecing the puzzle together from an outward perspective, she could sense a familial affection tethered among then despite their bitterness for each other. Perhaps she was imagining it, perhaps she was not. But there was something about the way they spoke that harnessed that energy within them, which in return, gave a sense of comfort within her.
"It's nightfall soon," Thatcher said, beckoning toward Claire with a friendly gesture. "What say you come stay with Szene and the boys tonight? You're pretty famous among them now. Mossen couldn't stop talking about you."
"I... I would love to," Claire said, beaming positively before changing back into her regular self. She realized she was being too positive despite all of the dangers she had witnessed, including the witnessing of her curse, as well as the Qliphos droid. She tried to keep it all a secret, despite the friendly gesture of Thatcher's invite. "Um, I'm really sorry about the carrots."
"Yeah, the others aren't gonna like that," Thatcher pointed out. "But it is what it is. I'll lose some money, but I'm just glad I haven't lost my kids nor my will."
"O-oh," Claire was astonished that it was as simple as that. "Well, I think I'll go talk to Szene now. She seems a little bothered."
"Eh, the girl's just down for now. She'll come to her senses in a little bit. Not the first time it's happened. Well, when you do, you can tell her what I've told you. See you back home, Claire."
"See you." Claire blushed, waving at Thatcher, who began the approach back to the village.
Claire hopped through the incline and made her way through some miniature stepping stones permeated with wet moss. She stood above two large rocks and tried to balance herself by extending her arms. She watched as Szene skipped a smooth rock across a silent stream rapid, watching it satisfyingly splash across the distance with each skip. Claire placed both of her hands behind her waist again, standing firmly against the breeze.
"Your father's kind," Claire said. "He seems to really care about you."
Szene didn't respond. Instead, she skipped another stone across.
Claire pursed her lips together, wondering what to say. She then skipped down besides Szene, wanting to bring out a sense of positivity in the darkness. "I know the nations are at war with each other, and Qliphos isn't giving you and your family the best of the future, but we can still celebrate what little hope we have."
"Are you lecturing me?" Szene asked, dropping a stone beside her.
"N-no, I'm..."
"It's okay," Szene said. "I know. My old man's always like that. He is my old man after all, and no one else's. One of these days, I'd like to be free for a change. Grow old. Run away. Live a solo life where I don't need to worry about being controlled."
"I see." Claire briefly stated.
"Do you have dreams, Claire?" Szene asked. "What goes on in that little mind of yours?"
Claire held her breath before standing directly beside Szene. "My dream..." She clasped her right shoulder with her hand once more.
"You don't have to tell me now, if it's too much," Szene continued. "Besides, I think we can save it for later. It's going to be night soon."
"Your father said-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know what he said," Szene interrupted, walking back toward the nearest trail. She then turned around with a small grin. "You coming? Or are you going to just stand there?"
With a small giggle, Claire nodded and rushed toward Szene, where the two spent the rest of the day embarking to Szene's hometown and village. But as they did so, the lingering presence of Claire's dream never faded away. There was sliver of hope that this dream could be accomplished, even if it meant the loss of her humanity that would achieve such a goal.
But for now, her dream was better off without knowing.