City, Present

  Arius and Ryuga walk in silence for a while, the dome looming in the distance.

  "Can I ask you something?" Arius says. "What happened with you and Niche?"

  Ryuga doesn't break his stride. "Nothing happened."

  "Bullshit. You used to follow him around like a dog. Now you can barely look at him." Arius glances at him. "I know you claim to be a different person but…I know it’s still you. There’s a part of you still in that body. What happened?"

  Ryuga is quiet for long enough that Arius thinks he's not going to answer.

  "I remember everything," Ryuga says finally. "Every conversation. Every favor. Every time he smiled at me and I thought it meant something."

  "So?"

  "So I remember it, but I don't feel it anymore." His voice stays flat, but something tightens around his eyes. "It's like watching a movie of someone else's life. I can see this person trusting Niche, caring about him, making excuses for the things he did. And I don't understand why."

  Arius watches him carefully. "You're saying you remember being loyal but you don't remember why."

  "I'm saying I look at those memories now and all I see is someone being used." Ryuga looks at the ground, this gesture barely perceptible. "He needed me to trust him, so I trusted him. He needed me to die for him, so I died. And the whole time I thought it was my choice."

  "Wasn't it?"

  "I don't know." For just a second, something cracks in his expression. Then, it's gone. "That's the problem. I'll never know if anything I felt was real or if he just made me feel it."

  Arius doesn't say anything.

  "So no," Ryuga continues, voice flat again. "Nothing happened with me and Niche. I just woke up."

  They keep walking. The dome gets closer until Ryuga and Arius stand directly across the street from it, looking up at the massive structure. Glass and steel rise into the sky, solar panels embedded in every surface. The two don’t recognize it, but this is the same building from before – the one Niche ran up while being chased by the unknown calamity now recognized as Mercury’s doing.

  "This is it," Arius says, adjusting his shifted form to more closely resemble one of the government security guards he saw during his walk here.

  Ryuga stares at the entrance. "Lot of security for a monitoring facility."

  "Because it's not just monitoring." Arius starts walking. "Remember, you're an engineer. I'm security. Don't overthink it."

  "I don't overthink."

  "You're overthinking right now."

  They cross the street. The lobby doors slide open automatically.

  The Dome, Main Entrance Lobby, Present

  The interior is pristine. White marble floors, glass walls, officers in suits moving with purpose. Everything is sterile and efficient.

  Ryuga's forged badge reads "T. Yamada - Solar Engineering." He clips it to his chest, trying to look like he belongs.

  They approach the security checkpoint. Two guards stand, one watching a monitor, the other checking badges, both looking exhausted.

  Arius passes through the detector first.

  Clear.

  Ryuga sets his briefcase on the scanner belt and steps through the metal detector.

  Clear.

  The briefcase passes through. Immediately, the monitor starts beeping.

  The guard monitoring the screen sits up. "Hold on."

  Ryuga stops. Arius is already through, standing on the other side.

  "Unusual heat signature." The guard taps his screen. "What's in the case?”

  Ryuga's mind blanks. He grabs the briefcase before the guard can. "Equipment."

  "What kind of equipment runs at 47 degrees Celsius?"

  In Ryuga’s head, Raizen's voice cuts through his panic. "The Sunpiercer Type-Z, sir,” Raizen advises.

  Ryuga hesitates for just a second. Then, he speaks. "The Sunpiercer Type-Z, sir."

  The guard's expression shifts from confusion to suspicion. "The what?"

  "Sunpiercer Type-Z. It's a prototype."

  "I've never heard of that."

  "You wouldn't have. Level 3 clearance."

  The second guard steps closer now, hand resting on his hip near his radio. "If it's Level 3, why are you bringing it through the main entrance?"

  Ryuga keeps his voice steady. "The secure entrance is under maintenance. There was a memo yesterday."

  Both guards exchange looks. The first one pulls up something on his screen, scrolling.

  Silence.

  Ryuga can feel sweat forming on his back.

  "I don't see any memo," the guard says slowly.

  "Then your system didn't update. I can wait while you call it in." Ryuga sets the briefcase down on the counter. "But I'm already twenty minutes late for the calibration test. If the Sunpiercer overheats because of a delay –”

  "Open the case."

  "That's classified –”

  “Open it.”

  “Your supervisor will hear from –”

  "Open it or you leave. Now."

  The groups are dead silent, save for the murmuring of the people in the background. Arius shifts his weight, getting ready to move if this goes wrong.

  Ryuga stares at the case. If he opens it, they see Raizen. If he doesn't, they get thrown out or arrested.

  Raizen, what do I do? Ryuga’s mind races.

  “Open it,” Raizen orders calmly.

  They'll see you, Ryuga thinks.

  “No. They won't,” Raizen assures.

  Ryuga doesn't understand, but he has no other choice. He unclasps the latches slowly. His hands are shaking slightly.

  He lifts the lid just enough for the guard to see inside.

  A matte black device. Sleek. Weapon-like. Silent and intimidating.

  Not a sword. Not Raizen. Something else entirely.

  The guard takes a step back. His hand moves away from his radio.

  "That's..." the guard trails off.

  "Prototype solar cannon," Ryuga says quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. "Like I said. Level 3."

  The guard stares at it for another moment, then waves him through. "Go."

  Ryuga closes the case quickly, walking past the checkpoint, his heart still pounding.

  They're halfway to the elevator when Ryuga speaks under his breath. "How did you do that?"

  Raizen's voice speaks through, not in Ryuga’s mind anymore, but from the case now. "Illusion. Simple."

  "And the name? Sunpiercer Type-Z? How did you know that would work?"

  "I didn't. I made it up."

  "The guard recognized it. He knew what it was. That weapon exists."

  "Does it?"

  "You're not answering the question."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "I answered perfectly. You just don't like the answer."

  Ryuga stops just before the elevator, keeping his voice low. "How did you know the exact name of a classified weapon? And how did you transform into it?"

  "I didn't transform. It was an illusion, like I said."

  "An illusion of what, specifically? You created an image of something you've never seen?"

  Silence for a moment.

  "You want me to explain how the magic works? You know the first rule of magic: magicians don’t share how they perform the tricks. Also, be happy that my scheme worked…” Raizen responds calmly. He finishes off his thought in his own mind. …or else YOU’D be in prison for trafficking ANOTHER classified weapon. Though, instead of telling Ryuga this, Raizen responds in a more dismissive way. “You'll see soon enough,” he says.

  "That's not—"

  The elevator doors open. Arius steps inside, looking back at Ryuga expectantly.

  Ryuga follows, dropping it for now. But the questions sit heavy in his mind.

  Elevator, Present

  They ride down in silence. Ryuga leans against the wall, watching the floor numbers descend.

  The temperature drops with each level.

  "That thing back there," Arius says. "With the sword."

  "Yeah?"

  "How'd it know that weapon name?"

  Ryuga shakes his head. "I asked. It wouldn't tell me."

  "You think it was real? The Sunpiercer whatever?"

  "The guard recognized it. So either it's real or Raizen made a really lucky guess."

  "Divine weapons don't guess." Arius crosses his arms. "They know things. Question is what else does it know that it's not telling us?"

  "That's what I'm wondering."

  The elevator slows. A soft chime.

  LEVEL 1: ADMINISTRATION

  The doors don't open. They keep descending.

  LEVEL 2: SOLAR MONITORING

  Still going.

  "We'll figure it out later," Arius says. "Focus on the mission first."

  "Yeah."

  LEVEL 3: ENERGY CONVERSION / SIMULATION FEED

  The doors open to Level 3. Unlike the sterile upper floors, this place is packed. Technicians weave between terminals, servers hum along every wall, and people shout over each other about readings and diagnostics.

  Ryuga steps out and immediately gets pressed by the crowd. Arius follows, nearly bumping into someone carrying a stack of tablets.

  "How do we find anything in this?" Ryuga mutters.

  They push through, shouldering past workers who don't give them a second glance. Everyone's too busy and too loud to care. Ryuga spots a bio-locked door marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" on the far wall.

  "There." Ryuga nods toward it. "We need a way in."

  Arius doesn't respond. Ryuga glances back and sees this look on Arius’ face. Calculating.

  "What are you planning?" Ryuga asks, turning back forward.

  A loud crash cuts him off. Ryuga spins around.

  Arius is standing there with coffee splattered across some technician's shirt. The rushing crowd of people squished further together to avoid this confrontation, and seemingly for a good reason; the guy's face is already red, veins visible on his neck.

  "What the fuck?!" The technician looks down at his ruined shirt, then back at Arius. "You knocked it right out of my hand!"

  "Sorry, sorry." Arius reaches for the guy's hand like he's trying to help somehow.

  The technician yanks back. "Why are you grabbing my hand? I don't swing that way, freak."

  "My bad." Arius backs off with his hands raised.

  The technician stands there, staring ferociously at Arius. Ryuga stands there, dumbfounded. Arius, quickly avoiding the impending escalation, turns away from the technician and grabs Ryuga's arm, pulling him towards the locked door.

  "Move,” Arius whispers, snapping Ryuga back to reality.

  "Did you just do that on purpose?" Ryuga asks, his body still frozen in place.

  "Move."

  Ryuga finally picks up his feet and bolts in the direction Arius is pulling him. The two run, losing the angry technician in the crowd.

  They quickly reach the locked door. Arius presses his palm to the scanner. His skin ripples and reshapes into an exact copy of the technician's hand. The scanner beeps. Green light.

  They slip inside.

  ???, Present

  The door shuts behind them. Rows of terminals fill the room, their screens glowing in the dim light.

  Ryuga sits at the nearest one and starts scrolling through folders. He stops on one and opens it.

  "They're logging it," he says. "How much energy they've taken. Profit margins. Everything."

  Arius walks over and glances at the screen. "Why the fuck are they keeping a log on how much energy they steal?"

  "Maybe they're selling it."

  "To who?"

  Ryuga keeps scrolling. More files. More numbers.

  "We got what we came for," Arius says. "Niche was right. They’re stealing energy. What a surprise; who would’ve guessed? Mission complete. Let's go.”

  "There could be critical information –”

  "That's not our problem." Arius checks his watch. "Security patrol in two minutes. They match nametags with faces; they’ll know something’s wrong. We leave now or we fight our way out."

  Ryuga hesitates, his hand hovering over the keyboard. More files are beckoning.

  "Now," Arius insists. "I'm not dying for your thoroughness."

  “Fine,” Ryuga sighs, rolling his eyes. He pulls a small USB drive from the terminal and pockets it.

  They move towards the door. Footsteps echo in the hallway.

  "Make that thirty seconds," Arius mutters.

  Residential District Streets, Present

  Venus walks toward Niche's neighborhood, hands in his pockets. Tomorrow's the day he finally tests the sun bearer.

  The street is busy for the afternoon. Parents sit on porches, a couple of old men argue about something on a bench, and kids chase each other between parked cars. Normal neighborhood. Normal people.

  Venus steps around a woman pushing a stroller. She doesn't even look at him.

  A ball rolls in front of his feet. He stops.

  "Hey mister!" A chubby kid runs up, out of breath. "Can you kick that back?"

  Venus looks down at him. The kid is maybe eight, nine years old. Sweat on his forehead, grass stains on his knees. Completely unaware of who he just talked to.

  "Mister?" Venus repeats.

  "Yeah." The kid shifts impatiently. "The ball?"

  Venus tilts his head. "Do I look old to you?"

  "Huh?" The kid blinks. "I dunno, I just want my ball back."

  Venus smiles. His eyes narrow slightly.

  The kid opens his mouth to say something else, but nothing comes out. His hand goes to his throat. He tries again, face scrunching up in confusion, but there's no sound. Just his lips moving uselessly, with a croaking sound escaping from his mouth.

  Then something catches Venus's eye. A figure at the end of the street.

  The kid gasps, air flooding back. He coughs a few times, eyes watering.

  Venus kicks the ball back. "There you go."

  The kid grabs it and backs away, still coughing, looking at Venus like he's trying to figure out what just happened. Then he turns and runs.

  Venus turns his attention to the figure approaching from the other end of the street. Slow. Unhurried.

  He squints. "Wait, is that…" Venus recognizes the figure. "Hey, there you are!" Venus grins. "What a coincidence I met you here. Is your work done yet, ?"

  Sol teleports directly in front of him. No warning, no sound. Just suddenly there.

  Venus chuckles.

  "No. I am still working on it." Sol's voice is flat, almost bored. "What have you been up to, Venus? And what are doing here?"

  "Nothing you need to worry about." Venus sidesteps him and keeps walking. "Well, I'll see

  –”

  Sol teleports in front of him again. His hand grips Venus's shirt. The movement's so casual it's insulting.

  Venus laughs, but there's less humor in it now. "I-I was joking. Boss sent me to check on this kid. See what he's been up to."

  "And you listened?"

  "Yeah. I mean he's paying me for it so…"

  "When did Jupiter become your boss?" Sol lets go.

  Venus straightens his shirt. "Why do you care so much? Focus on your own mission."

  "Your stupid errands are interfering with my job, Venus. Leave now."

  Venus scoffs. "Whatever. Just finish whatever weird shit you're doing." He starts walking again. "I'll tell Jupiter the kid is doing fine."

  "Wait."

  Venus pauses but doesn't turn around.

  "How much is Jupiter paying you for this?" Sol questions, intrigued.

  "Five quintillion dollars."

  Silence.

  "Basically five sun seconds," Venus adds, rolling his eyes. Venus thinks.

  Venus keeps walking but calls back before disappearing around the corner. "Hey, hurry up with your mission. Vestige Court needs you at the meeting."

  Then, Venus is gone.

  Sol stands alone in the empty street.

  Sol thinks.

  "Two more days," Sol says quietly.

  Then, he vanishes as well.

  Niche’s Room, Present

  Niche slumps against the wall, exhausted from maintaining his facade of strength.

  Shima approaches with a medical kit. "Your energy was weak during the meeting."

  "I'm fine."

  "No, you're not." She pulls out a syringe filled with clear liquid. "This will help you recover faster."

  He takes it, staring at the needle for a long moment. The weight of everything – his father, the trials, two days left – presses down on him.

  Shima's expression shifts, her protective instincts flaring. "What's wrong?"

  Her eyes catch the bandage around his left hand. "And what is this thing you always have wrapped up?"

  She reaches for it.

  "Don't." Niche pulls his hand back.

  "Let me see it." Her tone brooks no argument. She's not asking – she’s telling him. Not as a friend, but like a medical professional who needs to know all his symptoms to correctly diagnose him.

  They stare at each other. Finally, he sighs. "Fine. Just... get off me."

  She steps back, watching as he unwraps the bandage. The result is underwhelming: his hand looks normal. No wounds. No scars.

  "It's... nothing," she says confused, staring at his clear skin.

  "You have to stimulate it,” he says, tightening his grip around the syringe.

  He drives the syringe into his palm. His hand suddenly glows red with crackling energy, something alien-like pulsing under the skin.

  "What does it do? Some kind of power boost?" Shima asks, intrigued.

  "No." He stabs himself again, wincing as the strange parasite reacts with a faint glow. "This thing doesn't do anything useful. It just gives me pain. And it prevents regeneration when I damage it."

  "Why would you do that to yourself?" Her voice is soft, but there's steel underneath – the tone of someone who won't tolerate him hurting himself.

  "Pain feels different when I know it won't heal. When I know I can't just regenerate through it. It motivates me."

  "Hm." She snatches the syringe from his hand and pushes down, injecting the medicine into the parasite herself, moving quick and efficient. "Your immortality boring you?"

  "Something like that."

  "Idiot." She starts re-bandaging his hand with practiced motions. "I don't care what games you play with pain, but don't sabotage the mission by breaking yourself."

  "I'm not –”

  "You are. Every time you stab that thing, you're choosing to be weaker." She ties off the bandage firmly. "I won't watch you destroy yourself. Not when there's still work to do. Don’t be a selfish philosophical asshole who costs us our lives."

  Niche doesn't respond. Shima finishes the bandage and starts packing up the medical supplies.

  Her hands are shaking slightly. She keeps her eyes on the kit.

  "How long are they going to be gone?" Her voice comes out uneven.

  "Arius and Ryuga?" Niche shrugs. "However long it takes."

  She nods. Closes the kit. Takes a breath.

  "Niche. What did Arius tell you about me?” Shima asks, her voice steady.

  “Some things, I guess.”

  “Things?"

  "Yeah, just things."

  "What did he tell you?" Her voice cracks.

  "Does it matter? Information is information."

  She moves closer, her hands shaking. "Please. I need to know what you know."

  "Why?"

  "Just tell me!"

  She reaches into his coat and pulls out his pocket knife. Before he can react, she drives it into his hand.

  The knife, now plunged into Niche’s right hand, ignites the parasite, who shrieks in pain.

  "Fuck!" Niche tries to jerk back, but Shima fastens him in place. "What is wrong with you, Shima?"

  The parasite writhes under his skin, glowing where the blade pierced it. It erupts from his shadow, wrapping around his arms and legs as it thrashes in pain.

  “Fuck…I can’t move…please, Shima…get off me…”

  "Tell me what Arius said." Her grip on the parasite tightens as the knife is driven deeper into his skin. "I'll do anything. Please."

  "Any…"

  She leans in, her face slowly approaching Niche’s.

  Shima thinks.

  Shima stops inches from his face. Her breath is uneven, her eyes wet.

  "No." She pulls back slightly. "I won't degrade myself like this." Her voice shakes. "I'm not... I won't force anything. But Niche, I'll do literally anything else. Just don't tell anyone."

  "I don't…care,” he heaves, unphased.

  She blinks. "What?"

  "Your secret's safe. I don't care enough to tell anyone that you used to pretend to be a guy." His voice is flat, almost bored. "If I wanted to expose you, I would've already."

  The parasite loosens. Shima stumbles back, her legs unsteady.

  "You... you really won't tell?"

  "Clean yourself up. Forget this happened."