Soul's Requiem: B1 - 6. Walking Through Uncertainty (Patreon)

Note:  I might not be able to post a chapter next week in SR, depending on the time I have to write it.  We'll play it by ear.

1:  Clover Emberfield

Soul's Requiem Index

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Clover smoothed out her gray dress and pulled her braid over her shoulder before resituating herself on the well-worn leather seat of Melissa’s truck.  The interior was torn, and the exterior told a story about the battles it had seen; it was a stark reminder that she was not in the world she knew.

Melissa gauged her mood as she got in, allowing her to examine the nighttime town in silence—her old life flashed across her memories the more she had time to ponder everything she’d lost … her entire world was gone in an instant.  It was so surreal to her; Hollow Veil looked like the videos of 3rd-world countries they used to show them in school.

Clover’s gaze shifted from the dim overhead lamps, half of which weren’t operational, to the weeds growing out of the broad sidewalks and narrow road.  Her mother’s face came to mind as the wind shifted the bottom of her platinum blonde locks, eyes blankly staring at the ruined town.

Seeing this … What would Mom say about me now?  I have all these powers, and it felt so empowering at first—this natural energy flowing through my veins, but really … What would my family think about the state of this world—about me?  Am I even human anymore?

A small smile lifted her lips upon seeing a woman in her forties watching several kids playing some kind of card game on a small streetside shopping area that seemed to have been turned into a public gathering place; the boys and girls had grins on their faces, laughing while the woman happily made food on an old grill.

Upon seeing the car the woman swiftly motioned for them to get inside before drawing a large dirty blanket to block the street; clearly, some didn’t care for the curfew.  They seemed to be burning trash for fuel, yet appeared to be content enough with their lives.

Mom used to put on a lot of public events for the children … What was the last thing I said to her … My schedule for the week?  The last thing was my schedule…

The streets truly seemed sleepless with at least one person always in sight; gray clothing appeared to be the staple for everyone.  “Hmm … I don’t see many cars … Do most people walk?”

Melissa’s blue eyes passively glanced between several moving groups of two to three people, wearing the same outfits as everyone else; although, a few had various little accessories, such as a worn belt, purse, or different shoes they’d probably salvaged from the old world.

“Do you see the rails on both sides of the road?”

“Mhm … Oh, I’ve seen commercials and online videos about old towns that still functioned off the proto rail system… So, that’s how it is,” she whispered, fingers playing with a deep cut in the outside of the car door.

“Right,” Melissa nodded, pointing at a soft light further up the road as they traveled 15 MPH, “they use the electrical wires above us … It’s powered by the nearby hydroelectric dam—droughts and attacks can shut down the whole grid, but there’s nothing much that can be done about that.”

“Hmm…”  She watched the small tram pass at roughly 25 MPH; the rail car could only hold up to ten people, but there seemed to be a whole grid system that operated on set schedules, slowing at certain intervals for people to step off.  “It seems so unreliable for a bustling populace.”

Melissa shrugged.  “That’s just the world today; we use what we can.  A lot of people are restless after the Great Void’s activity earlier.”

“The state of this town, though…”  Clover leaned against the side of the door, tucking her lower lip under her teeth while letting the ambiance of the wind and surroundings pull her in.  There were stray animals like dogs and cats roaming in packs, children running around, and people digging through piles of trash in the alleyways, hoping for treasures.

She watched a small truck that had garbage bags in the back with hollow eyes; it moved in the opposite direction, heading for the edge of town, and Clover looked for the words to convey her feelings.  “Hmm … Is the trash handled by the public?”

“Yeah … I know,” Melissa whispered, “it must be a culture shock, coming from Eastern Skydream—especially Emberfield … the Flaming Capital of the East.”

“It was beautiful … My family worked hard to maintain it…” Clover replied, fidgeting with the ends of her platinum blonde locks as they turned.  “Hollow Veil seemed to be well-off for a Southwestern rural town … probably spurred by Sunset City before the Great Void pulled most of it in.”

“Sunset City?”  Melissa mumbled, looking up to see the looming sphere in the purplish-heavens, taking up much of the sky.  “Is that what it was called?  People normally call it Sunny City.”

“Incredible,” Clover mumbled, resting the back of her hand against her cheek.  “Fifteen years and the real name is already muddied in history—as far as I’m aware, Sunny City was a derogatory term those in Western Skydream gave the new city—people weren’t happy about it stealing businesses from Bloom City.”

“Heh-he-he, interesting,” Melissa gave her a smile, “you know more about this City-State’s history than most, I’d say—more than me, at least.  Of course, you were a High Noble … I was born in Firefly … a lot less freedom there, but yeah … I only learned about the major cities when I was spat out here.”

Clover’s lips pulled in while shaking her head, studying the buildings of Hollow Veil; some apartment complexes were as tall as fourteen stories, yet they showed signs of severe decline, with several of the top floors utterly unusable.  Still, the warm glow of occupants dotted most rooms.

“Broken glass, plastic taped over windows, cracked concrete, and weeds taking over the town … the trash … is this typical of most areas?”

Melissa sighed.  “I’m afraid it is, but we try to keep things as sanitary as we can—although major cities are very nice and maintained.  Unfortunately, this is one of the few rural towns left in all of West Skydream after Inferno started coming back—the sudden increase in Transevil from the Deadlands has spiked recently, too, but … it hasn’t even been half a day since you recovered…”

“I know … It’s just a lot to take in,” Clover whispered.  “Hmm…”

They were beginning to enter a more populated zone, the damage of the buildings and streets showing signs of small repair efforts; barriers were seen, blocking car access, but it was quickly moved aside by soldiers once they recognized Melissa, saluting the vehicle.

Melissa waved as they passed and pointed to a few areas.  “This is the main business area of Hollow Veil … the heart of the town—prime real estate, and that’s the orphanage,” she said, pointing at a large school building that appeared to have been renovated.

Working her way up to her bigger questions, Clover eyed the gated area; few lights were on around the site since it was the middle of the night.  “I’ve heard a little about people hating orphans because of some initiative … Is that true?”

A long puff of air passed through the woman’s cheeks as she pulled her blonde hair to the side.  “Ahem … Was it Lilly that told you about that?”

She slowly shook her head, gaze following an 8-year-old girl holding her mother’s hand on the sidewalk.  “No … don’t get me wrong, Melissa, Lilly is wonderful and appears to be quite mature … She may be lacking in some social skills, yet is very considerate toward my situation, which, granted, is likely a product of her training and natural temperament.”

Melissa reached down to a small compartment and pulled out a toothpick, popping it into her mouth to play with it.  “Hmm … want one?  Pretty rare stuff; I usually have to make my own!”

“No thanks.”

“So … I’m sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in there.  Is something bothering you?”

A rueful smile moved Clover’s eyes.  “With everything I’ve been dumped into?  Undoubtedly.  With Lilly … she may be trained to deal with those that come out of the Voids, and she is performing excellently … but you are right.  I suppose it’s the difference between ‘knowing’ what to do in a situation and ‘understanding’ a situation.”

“Huh…”  Melissa’s tongue flicked her toothpick for a moment before nodding.  “There are things you’re uncomfortable speaking to Lilly about because she’s not a Spirit User?”

“I … suppose… It’s hard to put into words,” she replied, vision absently sliding between open businesses and fixating on a prominent structure with a sign that read ‘World’s End Bank.’  “I will say that some things I have heard are making me realize the importance of your warning … rushing things will overwhelm me.”

Melissa turned down another street, moving to the northeast area of the town at their slow pace, passing tents with the SPU symbol across them, Clover guessed they housed refugees, or were for treating those with illnesses and injuries.

“Ah-heh-he, you were confidence incarnate when you first woke up; to be honest, I really admired how bold you were … Something’s really upset you since you left the control room.”  Her expression brightened.  “If you need time to figure out how to ask me, then we can talk about whatever you want!  Orphans, huh?”

Clover shook her head.  “I just don’t understand the vitriol I’ve seen in people’s eyes when they look at Lilly … It’s become fairly evident she has no one, and something happened to her brother, who was a Spirit User, too…”

The golden-haired woman’s tightening lips caused Clover to pause for a moment; clearly, this was a sensitive topic for her.

Clover released a sad sigh, reflecting on the lamps illuminating the streets.  “I see … Judging by your reaction, in conjunction with what I’ve heard from you and others, something significant happened to Spirit Users in the past five years … I don’t expect a straight answer at this time—I have enough to think about, but it did seem to heavily impact Lilly.”

Melissa released the breath that was frozen in her lungs with a short nod.  “Yes… You are very observant, Clover—way different than most 17-year-olds I’ve known.  You are right … something did happen… It is a very touchy subject that sours any conversation.  Umm … I’d rather go into the orphan situation—can we tackle that?”  she asked, glancing over at her with a forced smile.

“That’s acceptable,” Clover said.  “It might take my thoughts away from what I’ve lost.”

“Right … You’re actually lucky to remember your past … Usually, those that have Spirit Armaments tend to have lost all memory of their time in the Void and before the invasion.”

“Hmm… You don’t say … I suppose ‘lucky’ could be subjective,” she mumbled, reflecting on how she discovered her brother and sister-in-law.  “Go on.”

Melissa’s gaze fell a little.  “Sorry, Clover … I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories … Umm, there were a lot of orphans at the start of the Great Rassi War … most died when a major city to the east of here fell.  Those that survived were sent here, and a lot of people were bitter about supporting them … they got preferential selection for job opportunities to help them to become independent as soon as they could, but that’s a position someone else could have filled, and they were naturally resentful about that.”

Clover crossed her legs, pulling her dress down a bit.  “More or less what I thought.  What is the Operator Field like?”

“Pfft!  Rough,” Melissa giggled.  “Since a dedicated Operator is for Class 3 Spirit Users or above, and due to their rarity, the list is very long.”

She brushed back her bangs with a sad smile, looking at two patrolling soldiers that waved as they passed.  “Hmm … the intermediate jobs you can take while awaiting your position don’t pay well.  It’s a specialized field, after all, and fairly flooded—a subset of the paramilitary market, and normally quite an expensive program, too.”

Letting the information sink in, Clover gazed up at the Great Void as it came into view between buildings.  What must have driven her to go so far?

Thinking about the time investment, she asked, “How long does the program take?”

“Six years.”

“Remarkable, and Lilly’s only seventeen?”  Clover whispered, giving her a questioning look.

Melissa sucked on her toothpick.  “Mhm … the Commander actually consulted me on putting her on your case.  She has top marks, for sure … the top .4% in academics, and began at the age of ten, idolizing her older brother … Lilly’s the youngest Operator to graduate the course, which did put a target on her back, much less her having special benefits that went along with it.”

Clover nodded.  “I can see why.”

“Mhm … It’s sad but understandable.  Is that everything?”

“No … I’ve … I’ve had no inclination to eat or drink … much less look at any boys, which was something that I found myself often doing while at school.”

A hiss passed through Melissa’s teeth.  “Ah … Mm-hm-hm-hmm … Yes, Spirit User bodies are … very different, depending on how strong you are.  I can go months without eating and weeks without drinking as a Class-2.”

“How?”  Clover cleared her throat, rubbing her elbow as it tingled with discomfort.  “That doesn’t make sense … It feels … unnatural to not want any of that.”

“Eh … you get used to it quickly, but … not several hours ‘quickly,’ ” she chuckled, running her fingers through her hair.  “Umm … usually, most Spirit Users first start to notice that a few days after coming back … You’re really jumping in the deep-end … And sex … gah, umm … Yeah, can we?  Sure.  In fact, normal people … well, we’re kind of seen as an object by a lot of people … In a lot of ways … men and women … eh, let’s just say we’re fetishized.”

A groan rumbled through the woman’s throat.  “Ugh … Yuck … the fanfiction about certain Spirit Users and the… the material that some people create is … disgusting to me, but it has a frightening market … People want to escape … I just don’t understand ‘how’ they choose to escape … maybe because I’m the subject of a lot of it—with friends I’ve respected and faced death with for years,” she mumbled, her nose twisting.  “Local networks started popping up four years ago; the internet will survive…”

Clover shook her head, realizing she was entering that sphere of being fetishized; of course, there was somewhat of a group like that back when she was first entering the public eye—it was stamped out quickly with the underage laws, though, and she doubted things were so organized in this world.  “That’s… not comforting.”

“Ahem,” she gave a forced laugh.  “Anyway, umm … yes, it’s possible to love and have those feelings again, but much more challenging as a Spirit User since we have … very different drives than ordinary humans … A lot of people don’t even see us as human anymore, and there’s the conspiracy crowd that thinks we’re imposters.”

“Really?”

“I mean, when you don’t have any memories and just show up out of a black hole … Not hard to see why they’d think that, not to mention our very changed physiology,” she rolled her eyes, “but yes, most people don’t pay them any mind since we’re very, very self-sacrificing—heh, to the point some of us really should have counseling.”

“Hmm… and … children?”  she mumbled so softly she wondered if Melissa could hear her.

The woman’s face instantly creased as she slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road to look at her.  “Children… Who put your mind on that thought … Was it Lilly?”

Her response put an even greater hole in the cavity that was her heart; it highlighted the urge to consume everything and the other conflicting pulses within her breast to aid others.  “No … No, it was a few talkative girls when Lilly was getting me supplies … I can guess the answer by your response,” Clover mumbled, fingers closing around her lower abdomen.  “So … I am sterile now?”

Melissa resituated herself, arms crossing under her chest as she gave the middle seat a heated look.  “Still, that was a mistake on Lilly’s part—she should have brought you with her … Sterile has very… negative connotations, Clover … You may be feeling broken, but … you’re not, okay?”  she whispered, scooting over a bit to hold her hand.  “Men and women that come back just … scientists can’t even tell us why it happened—we just don’t reproduce.”

“Our eggs?”  Clover asked, wanting to cry, but she couldn’t for some reason, further sending her into a spiral.

“How to put this… Gone,” she winced.  “Men don’t produce sperm, and women’s eggs are gone when they exit the Voids … There have been attempts to fertilize eggs and implant them in Spirit User wombs—on their request, of course … The eggs just die for some reason … It just doesn’t work.”

Melissa squeezed her hand before unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding over to hug her.  “You’re not alone, Clover.”

Taking a deep breath, Clover blinked a few times, trying to cry, yet being unable to find the liquid.  “I-I … Thank you, Melissa … I just … It wasn’t something I could ask Lilly.”

“I understand.”  Melissa’s hot breath pressed against her ear as her grip tightened, stronger than any grip she’d felt so far.  “I know you want this to be a nightmare, Clover … I wish it was, too, but…”

“It’s not … I know,” she whispered, hugging her back, but she felt hollow inside, and she didn’t want to.  “Is … is it natural to want to look for Transevil and kill them … That’s all I want right now … Is that normal?  To want to feed on them … To feel something?”

Melissa’s arms tightened for a moment before pulling back, tears sliding down her cheeks as she tried to put thoughts into words.  “… Ahem … I … I can’t say because I’m a Class-2 Spirit User.  Those with Spirit Armaments tend to be more aggressive toward Transevil and Rassi than those that don’t.  Umm … eventually, you’ll meet Stefan Duke, the Spirit Ruler of the West.  He has a Spirit Armament, too, but he has to stay in Bloom City to handle the Inferno Faction.”

“Right,” Clover took a deep breath and pulled back with a thankful smile, “I’m ‘unique’ even for a Spirit User.  So … you were going to show me something about my clothes … Does anyone in the SPU have magical clothes?”  she asked with a laugh, trying to ease the depressing vibes.

Pulling back to her seat, Melissa put her seatbelt back on.  “Hmm … I know it feels like you’re being torn apart inside … Just know I’ll have your back.  Umm, with your clothing issue?  Heh, well, no, actually…”

A sad, reminiscent grin lifted her cheeks.  “I knew someone that did, though—it’s infrequent … Right, let’s get this field trip over with so you can go back and get your clothes from Lilly!  The girl’s probably exhausted, and as you’ve probably heard, eating and drinking are a no.  And, heh, Father Sleep seems scared of Spirit Users, too!”

“There is that,” Clover groaned, rubbing her temple.  “I can pass out but not sleep, huh?”

“Only if your SF drops too low.  From what we’ve learned, Spirit Users use SF for everything, and we naturally generate it, but we’ve got a set battery limit if our output is too high.”

“The Classes?”

Melissa pulled them out of park while looking around to not hit anyone.  “Yeah …  You’re still recovering from your trip out of the Void, and I’m pretty sure you’re at least a Class-3 after that test—although some things haven’t surfaced yet, in time, I think they should, and Class-4 seems likely, too, once you stabilize.”

“How long did it take you?”  The tinted moon poked through the sky above them, drawing Clover’s gaze.  “Uh … Melissa … What happened to the moon?”

“Eh, he-he-he … Well, there’s apparently some big Transevil, Black Abyss-Class, or something on it—I don’t know.  You can see the green splotch on part of it if the sun shines on the right spot.  Most of the skies are filled with Transevil around the world—satellites are terrible to get up, or so I’m told, but the Transevil tend to keep to their own territory up there … Hey, I just kill them and heal people,” she shrugged.

“Insane…”

“You’re telling me!”  Melissa laughed.  “We’re just lucky nothing above Class-5 has really struck us in the last five years—Wilfred has been fighting non-stop for the past twelve years … I can’t imagine how many friends he’s lost.”

Clover’s hands pressed against her lap.  I hadn’t considered … How many did she lose rescuing me?  Was I even strong enough to face Isngneal when I came out?  No, which is why that ghost child had to intervene.  I’m strong … I know I am … it’s in every fiber of my body … yet I also feel so fractured.  Combat is so easy … this life, though … It's terrifying.

Finally, a tear slid down her cheek, mind comforted that she had at least one to shed.  Wiping it away, she blew out a long breath, drawing Melissa’s focus.  “Melissa… Thank you … I’m not sure about the SPU itself, but those that have taken my hand to help me through this transition … I won’t forget it.”

Melissa’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.  “I’m happy to help—really, I am … sometimes just helping one person in a day can put everything into focus and help me get through the night.  Oh … we’re just about there,” she said, trying to calm her hot face.  “Wow, I didn’t quite expect these emotions … It feels good, though.”

Chapter 6.5:  Shane 

Note: (Didn't Want To Post A New One And Fake Everyone Out)

They stopped in front of a decent neighborhood from what Clover had seen of the town;  it was a duplex, which was big for the tight-spaced places along their journey.

Getting out, Clover brushed back her braided hair, noticing the mountain chill of the elevated area, yet it didn’t affect her the way she remembered.  Managing her dress in the soft breeze as Melissa motioned for her to follow the path around the back.

The neighborhood had noticeably less traffic than the other places she’d passed through, and the maintenance was done regularly by the cleanliness of the streets.  “Well … This is a nice part of town,” she commented.

Melissa took out a small ring of keys, opening three locks on the high gate before opening it for her to walk inside; her intricate dress seemed far more durable than the cotton she was wearing.  “A lot of the town’s residents keep the area up since a few Spirit Users used to live in the area … It’s kind of a shrine, you could say.”

“A shrine?”  Clover put a hand on her lip as Melissa locked up behind them and guided her to the back door.  “Do they worship the Spirit Users?”

“Some, sure,” Melissa gave a weak shrug.  “We, uh … we get people that idolize us, fear us … hate us, and yes, some worship us—it’s in here.”

Clover followed her inside, glancing around once Melissa sealed the entrance; they’d come through a kitchen.  No dust or dishes were lying around, though it didn’t look like the house had been used for many years with how neat and orderly everything was.

“Do Spirit Users have permanent residents if they’re always traveling and never sleep?”

“Heh,” Melissa’s eyes lingered on the stove and the table for a moment, “we’re not robots.  The SPU used to have a few permanent residences in every city, dedicated to Spirit Users—it’s shrunk since, but we still need a private area to relax and take some personal time—little as it may be.  Umm, I like to read some of Skydream’s old literature … The new stuff can be a bit… eh, too wild for me,” she mumbled with a weak chuckle.  “The arts have become … Not very Spirit User friendly—at least, not for me.”

“I see.  So, what are we here to see?”

She followed Melissa into the next room, where an old 60-inch TV was mounted to the wall as the woman gave a nervous laugh.  “So, this is only for educational purposes, okay?”

“Okay?”

Melissa went to a shelf and opened it up to reveal an old tape set with the recordings beside it.  “Only about 23% of the Spirit Royals with Armaments had clothes like yours—all of the Spirit Users that were Class-5 and above.”

“More than I thought, considering the ambiguity I’ve been getting regarding the topic,” Clover whispered, watching her sort through the tapes; Melissa’s skin was hot as she fussed with her hair and the cassettes.  “I… get the impression we’re doing something illegal.  Not that I’m against it—I don’t wish to get you in trouble.”

She shook her head, extracting a recording and putting it in.  “No, no, no—it’s not illegal … some people are just really silly about some things … Yeah, no, I wasn’t ever in the higher Spirit User circles—well, not for those kinds of conversations, and a lot of that information was kept secret by the Class-4 to 7 Spirit Users—so, this is the best short term solution I have.”

“I can understand that,” Clover whispered, turning to the TV as she turned it on, “but why can’t the Commander request the data?”

“Two reasons … Because he hasn’t reported you to the SPU yet, and … Spirit Royals and Spirit Masters rarely talk to those not within their circles about their abilities—including the SPU—and a lot of rules left by McArthur protected them from divulging it … Oh, here’s the part.”

Clover folded her arms under her bust, shaking her head as the horrible quality of the home-recorded video played.  “Not selling me on the SPU.”

“There are good parts and bad parts—like anything,” Melissa mumbled.

Turning her focus to the screen, Clover hummed.  Judging by the voice from the unknown person recording, it was Melissa—she sounded younger, but it was the carefree tone in her voice rather than her coming off as old now; the woman hugged herself while watching, expressing a mixture of bitter-sweet memories.

A thin layer of snow was spread across a deep-frozen valley with several iced-over rivers that gave the area a magical vibe with the massive, blanketed trees spaced across it, and a handsome blonde man in his early twenties popped up on the screen, half turned away as he smiled at the camera.  Clover was instantly drawn to the yellow field of electricity that occasionally flashed across his body.

His laugh was genuine.  “Lisa!  You’re the one that wanted me to take you to Firefly’s snowy wasteland, but you’ve been fiddling with that thing since we’ve left the city.”

“Hey!  Hey!  I think I’ve got it working again!  Look!  Look!” she raised a cheer, running over to show him; behind them was a scarred landscape of a ruined northern city, practically torn to its foundation and a military helicopter not too far away.  “We need to preserve the memory!  Oh, and let’s do what we talked about!”

A silver-haired man with his long locks pulled into a simple ponytail walked over to throw his arms around the blonde man.  “Now, Melissa?  C’mon, girl!  We’ve finally gotten Shane away from Skydream; let him chill a little.”

“Alma!  It will only take a minute, and you guys never tell me anything about the cool stuff!”

He sighed, waving his hand with a low groan at Shane’s grinning shrug.  “You’re always so random.  Alright, I’m gonna take Benson to scope out the mountain; someone’s gotta do some work here.”

“Thanks, Alma!”  Melissa cheered, the camera shaking as she waved him off.

Clover shifted her hips the opposite way while looking at the unassuming man the woman was badgering; he was handsome and had a kind face.  “I assume he’s strong?”

Melissa’s lips lifted a little.  “The strongest,” she whispered.  “The only person Shane could be compared to would be McArthur.”

“A Spirit Emperor?”  Clover asked, returning her focus to the recording.  “And Alma?”

“One of the three Class-6 Spirit Masters at the time.”

“Hmm…”

Shane put his hands in his pockets with a soft, teasing smile.  “You know, sometimes I wonder if you’re even listening because I’ve told some of this stuff to you in the past.”

The younger Melissa seemed delighted to have this personal time with the legend.  “Yup, I know, but you know how miserable the SPU’s Spirit User incorporation program is … I just thought we could help things along for those of us that get chucked out of those black holes!  I know I would have loved to hear it from you!”

He rolled his eyes while shaking his head.  “Don’t compare yourself to everyone; you’ve got rare healing abilities while I just make stuff go boom.  I’m not that special.”

“Says the only Class-7!”  Melissa returned.  “C’mon, Shane, please!  Oh, tell future generations about the cool stuff—like your clothes!”

“Someday, there will be dozens of Class-7, and I’ll look like a total loser with how everyone treats me, but—okay, it is pretty cool.  Although…”  Shane’s smile turned suspicious as he looked down at his business clothes in the frigid environment.  “I’m starting to think you just want me to take off my clothes,” he laughed with a teasing smirk.

“Please!  For future generations!”  Melissa chimed.

“Melissa?”  Clover asked with a small smile directed her way.

She blushed.  “I-It was a joke!  Just ignore that part … Shane was kind of my mentor at this time.”

“Mhm…”  She turned her gaze back to the recording as Shane’s clothes shimmered black and changed into winter-wear, complete with a scarf.  “Pleased?”  he winked, spreading his arms.

“I mean … It’s a start,” Melissa returned.  “At least you don’t look like you’re about to walk into a business meeting.  Umm … oh!  Tell them about it!”

“I’ve told you like eight times!”  Shane sighed, ruffling his blonde locks with a forced smile.

Clover giggled.  “Obviously, you weren’t listening to his voice while he spoke.”

“Not entirely true,” Melissa mumbled.

However her past self shattered the illusion as she said in a mischievous tone, “I forgot!”

“Ah,” Clover teased, “you were just so taken in by his voice that you lost the words.”

“More like you weren’t listening,” he huffed, causing Clover to point at him in agreement.

Melissa looked away, fidgeting with her hair; the woman was clearly infatuated with her ‘mentor.’

“Forgive me!  I’m just … I’m just distracted!  For posterity!  History!”

“Fine!  Fine!  Okay, but listen this time.”

“He-he!  It’ll be recorded so I can come back to it if I do forget!”

She’s a love-struck puppy … Melissa had it bad, but he seems like a good guy.

“Okay … so, I like to call this Full Armament—Spirit Weapons and Spirit Armor are just too generic,” he grumbled.

“Spirit Masters can change to all sorts of outfits!  We should go to the beach next!”

“Calm down, Girl,” Clover smirked.

“… It was a different time, okay?”  Melissa forced out in a mumble, clearly embarrassed at herself.  “Just watch.”

Shane forced a smile while scratching the back of his head.  “Maybe—Inferno has been moving in that direction recently, and we never know when the next crisis will hit.  Anyway, when Spirit Users with Full Armament exit the Void, it’ll be challenging to shape it, but it reflects your inner spirit.  Also, it can be swapped between your normal outfit and combat because you wouldn’t want to fight Rassi or Transevil in cotton!”

“Mhm!  Mhm!  Unless you’re a Spirit Emperors!”  Melissa cut in.

“No, even then,” he laughed.  “Just because you’re a Spirit Emperor doesn’t mean it’s easy—or you want to fight naked.  There are a lot of really strong Transevil and Rassi.”

The yellow lightning intensified across his body as he pressed a hand against his breast and plucked out a strangely shaped object that released a similar deep yellow haze.  “We call these Brooches, and they’re infused with dense energy, depending on what Transevil you found them on.

“There are four Styles, Standard, Violent, Assassinate, and Bastion, each that have useful Set Effects if you manage to match the Style and Grade.  This is a Tera—basically, Class-4 minimum requirement to wear—Assassinate Brooch with the Evanesce modifier that helps to eliminate Rassi and Transevil Super Armor.  It’s… not my favorite, but the Set Bonus is worth using it over the Peta Assassinate I have.”

“Sets?”  Melissa asked in awe.  “What’s that all about?  Is it like matching cards in that one game?”

“Heh,” Shane’s Brooch vanished in light to be replaced by a cyan-colored teardrop-shaped one.  “This can get complicated—we should start at the basics.  You have the four Styles I mentioned; this one is Assassinate; the color marks its Grade as a Peta; the shape show’s it’s an Effect-Type. It goes like… okay, let’s have this ‘student’ get out a paper and write this down!”

Melissa’s eyes lit up.  “Oh, yeah, like a university quiz!”

Clover turned to give her a lifted eyebrow.  “I don’t need a paper to memorize something.”

“Lucky…”  Melissa whispered, only partially paying attention to her as she watched the video; she was starting to wonder if the woman wanted to show her this to have an excuse to see Shane again.

Taking Shane’s advice, Clover desired to be in her outfit, instantly causing the shimmering purple and black force to swirl around her body as the clothes took shape and her dress vanished.

Shane just plowed on, and Clover listened intently.  “Heh, it’s kind of embarrassing to have you record me like this… Eh, Set Effects are the most important piece of the process, and there are ‘five’ separate effects you can mix and match with because you have five combination pieces…”

Clover’s vision narrowed as he pointed at each item.  “Three ‘Types,’ or Attack, Defense, and Effect can be placed into your Shoes, Gloves, Bottom, Top, and Helmet—an optional invisible mode for that vision, by the way,” he winked, “and it could also be a hair bob or anything else—it’s completely customizable to your style—at least in proportion to your strength and personal vision of yourself, at the time.”

What does he mean by personal vision?  I saw myself like a … whatever I was dressed as when I exited the Great Void?

Shane took a deep breath before pointing at the cyan-colored Assassinate Effect Brooch in his hand.  “You cannot fit Effect-Type Brooches into an Attack-Type slot, and to get the Set Effect, you need to match the Grade and Style … Basically, an Assassinate Attack, Defense, and Effect that are all the same color.”

The Grade colors?

It was like he’d read her mind as he went on.  “Grades start at Kilo, Green, special, hard-to-kill Class-1 Transevil drop these, and it only goes up from there.  So far, we’ve identified Mega, which is Blue-colored; Giga, Red; Tera, Yellow; Peta, Cyan, or the highest, which are from the Class-5, but Wilfred swears there’s some Magenta one that McArthur had…”

He trailed off as Alma walked back into the frame with a teasing grin on his face.  “Spoutin’ Wilfred’s rumors, Shane?  Geez, you’re gonna confuse the kids!”

The Legend gave a weak chuckle and shrug.  “I mean, who knows what we’ll know whenever someone watches this.”

“True!”  Alma gave the camera a wink.  “To set the record straight, I’ve got the only full Peta-Set in the SPU, baby!  Check it!”

He spread his arms with a big grin as his outfit changed to swimming trunks, complete with a ponytail, sandals, and glasses; a swirl of cyan rays, aura, smoke, and shell-like pattern erupted across his frame.  “I’m drippin’, bro; get me a towel ‘cause ain’t I sweaty?  Wooh!”

A few cheers came from a few men and women off-screen as he flexed his muscular body and fanned himself; he was quite the specimen, and the act made her smile.

“He’s quite the character.”

“You… have no idea,” Melissa sighed, and past Melissa brushed him away with a dismissive hand.  “Yeah, yeah—weren’t you going to do some work?”

“Oof, harsh!”  Alma laughed, giving Shane a thumbs up.  “Yo, I’m tellin’ ya, I’ll beat you at surfing any day!”

“Put it on the calendar,” Shane returned.  “You know Inferno’s been heading to the sea area.”

“Yo!  I’m lit, bro; you just wait!”  He jogged off to join the others, but Melissa only had eyes for Shane.

The blonde-haired man’s half-smile followed his exit, and Clover realized whenever this was taken, there had been total stability—they could joke, go on a semi-vacation, and had complete confidence, yet at some point, that all changed.

“When was this?”  Clover asked.

Melissa’s hands were gripped tightly at her front.  “Huh … Oh, when?  Umm … it was a few months after I left the Void—Shane spent time with all the new Spirit Users.”

She slowly nodded.  “So… the Sixth Void Year.”

“Y-Yeah, eh … you really do have a good memory,” she chuckled.  “Oh, there’s not much more.”

Returning to the recording, Shane got back to the topic after listening to some of his comrades' conversations and waving a hand at Melissa’s continual attempts to get him to notice her; she had to remind herself that Melissa was technically still a teenager at this point.  “Umm … Yeah, that’s the basics, though.  Five Set Pieces to your outfit, four Styles, three Types, and five—possibly six—Grades, and the properties each individual Brooch can have is just too many to count!

“Transevil somehow create or carry them through the Voids and Rassi collect them to use themselves, which makes raiding their camps worthwhile, and in general, the Spirit User that finds it keeps it as a rule of the SPU.  Any other questions, you can direct to the blonde-girl recording me!”

“W-What?!  No!  I don’t even have Full Arma—”

The video promptly cut off, ending the recording.  Clover slowly nodded as she mentally went through the information.  “Interesting … I can see the appeal, and … Yes, it doesn’t look like I am naked when I dismiss the outfit,” she mumbled as her dress reappeared.  “I … only have one question left.”

Melissa blinked.  “Uh… I probably don’t know the finer details.”

Clover’s gaze returned to the blank screen.  “How was he making them appear and disappear?”

The blonde made an Oh-face before chuckling a little.  “Disap—Wait!  Okay, yeah, Spirit Users have a kind of personal… I don’t know, some people just call it a black hole?”  Melissa rubbed her chest before gesturing to a seat as she took the one across from it; complying, Clover crossed her legs and listened.

Even more confused now, Clover scratched her neck.  “Black hole?  Explain.”

“Well, it’s like—like a little personal bag that you can store things into—the stronger you are, the more you can fit in there and take out with a desire.  It’s the ghetto version of Spirit Armament that every Spirit User has, but it only works on inanimate objects that are infused with the special energy of the Voids.”

“So…”

“Like a rock or metal piece with a bunch of the Rassi powers in them and stuff; it can actually be extracted by some people, but… that business is kind of illegal now,” she added with a weak laugh.

“Mmh … That’s fascinating.”  Not forgetting the woman’s previous statement, Clover’s gaze settled on her.  “And … you said the Commander hasn’t reported me to the SPU yet … Why not, and why have I been assigned Lilly?”

“You see… The Eastern Division of the SPU is kind of at war with a major Rassi group, and the Commander is worried you’ll be ordered out if you suddenly declare yourself a member.”  She shifted a little, looking away while rubbing the back of her hand.  “Well, that, or he’ll be pressured to put you in that position if he does report it.”

“Hmm…”  Clover sat back, playing with her thumbs while looking at the cabinet of home videos; it was looking clear that this place was solely used by Melissa and no other Spirit User as a reminder of better times.  “I can understand that logic.  I cannot see myself becoming a part of the SPU in any case—helping those around me seems much more enjoyable than dedicating myself to a random cause, even if that is to become the hope of humanity.”

“No pressure from me!”  Melissa smiled.  “I’m happy to have your help and make your acquaintance.”

“Ditto—so, is that everything you wished to show me?”

Melissa got up with a sad smile.  “I know it was a long drive for something so short.”

“No, it was nice,” Clover said, rising to smooth out her dress.  “I learned a lot today—I think it is enough to have me in thought until morning.”

“Great!  I’ll take you back to Lilly’s then,” Melissa chimed, already moving to the door.  “There are some old wines left over if you want to have one—Oh, Lilly actually messaged me that she is at the local 24-hour bar.  She brought the change of clothes in case you wanted to get into them as soon as possible.”

Clover slowly shook her head.  “I don’t drink—the age limit was 24 in Skydream when I was… Well, what is it now?”

Melissa’s smile became forced.  “Oh … I didn’t know that.  Umm … sixteen.”

“Wow … okay,” Clover mumbled in disbelief.  “That… is surprising.  We can go meet up with Lilly and take it from there.”

“Great!  I’ve got a small bit of time before I go back out, and unless it’s a special kind of laced alcohol, then it doesn’t affect us—Spirit Rulers are completely immune!”

“Huh … A brave new world,” Clover sighed while exiting the building for Melissa to lock up.

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