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The sky had been lit up with fire once more to symbolize the start of a new dawn. Sitting across from Noah in the ruined attic of an abandoned townhouse was Josh. The girl, Grace, was beside Josh with the unconscious form of Lyn laying in between them all. They sat in silence as the horde of Soulless sheep streamed past, shaking loose a ceramic roof tile, which broke next to Noah's foot. The locals called the Soulless sheep Hell-Hounds, which began as a joke but was as accurate a description as any. The thunderous footsteps of the horde seemed endless as they stampeded in pursuit of the enormous sheepdog.
"Grace, this is my friend Noah. The person I was looking for," Josh was the first to speak after the stampede quieted.
"Pleased to meet you. Is that Lyn from Grandpa Finnigan's lodge?" Grace asked Noah.
"Likewise. Yes, Lyn's heavily wounded, and I need to get to the Store to save him," Noah replied.
"That will be difficult. Alvis and I have been trying to herd the Hell-Hounds into the town square, which is where the beam of light was last. We've lured them all here from the countryside," Grace said.
"Why have you been doing that?" Noah asked the girl.
"It's our responsibility since they were my family's sheep, and I'm the last one left aside from Alvis. My family had over three thousand sheep. Almost all of them are now Soulless and in the village. Stormy is the only one left. Alvis has been trying to convince her to come with, but she won't leave her herd even after they turned into monsters. She's always been stubborn," Grace replied as Noah grunted in understanding. Switching his attention to the familiar shrouded man.
"Josh, what do you mean you were looking for me? How did you know where I am, or that I'm even alive for that matter?" Noah asked.
"Ronan had a vision that he was convinced was true and sent out scouts to investigate. Upon hearing that you may have still been alive, I had to go with them. If you weren't, I still had to warn the locals that the Fallen Citadel was coming," Josh replied.
"Fallen Citadel?" Noah interrupted.
"The cruise ship isn't the same as you remember it. After hunting many animals and people for their abilities, Ronan and his followers converted it into a moving fortress. It can even fly now," Josh answered.
"I was worried about that. I was on a fishing boat, and we were following the flying whale before it was killed. Has Ronin managed to utilize its ability?" Noah continued.
"Yes, and more. There are now thousands of people on board the Citadel. As you would expect, blanks don't have any rights. They are abused and killed daily while facing starvation. These conditions have caused a large number of survivors to awaken, but not everyone is so lucky. The only solace for them is when a high-grade Ability-user is harvested. A select few of the Fallen sympathizers are chosen and given some of the meat. If they are like Alex and me..." Josh paused to wipe a tear from his eye using the back of his sleeve. "Ahem, if they are like me and awaken after eating it. They are given armour and forced into the Fallen military. They're the lowest caste of Ability-users and have to share sleeping quarters with those who awaken with them, but it's still better than being a blank. Suppose a blank fails to awaken after accepting the meat. They will be executed because their Origin crystal is the collateral. Despite that, hundreds of desperate people line up to take the risk," Josh continued.
"How many people awakened the flying ability? I've seen the Airsharks. There can't be many of them. I'm sorry about Alex," Noah said while placing a comforting hand on Josh's shoulder.
"Thank you, Ronan keeps his stone body as a trophy. The resistance will avenge him. There are more than thirty people who awakened the [Levitation] ability, including Sophie. There aren't that many Airsharks, but the Ability-users who pilot them hold the highest position after the Serpent Guard. The Airshark pilots are the only mass-produced awakened to have private rooms. Not even the Serpent Guard has that luxury. They wear a plumed metal open-faced helm in the stylized shape of a shark. To disrespect a pilot is death for a blank," Josh explained.
"Who are the Serpent Guard, and why are they more important?" Noah asked as he tried to absorb as much information as possible.
"The Serpent Guard is Ronan's elite guard which accompanies him and his most important advisors everywhere. They're better suited for parades than combat, in my opinion. All they're good for is bullying blanks. It's formed from the people who awakened the [Gigantic Growth] ability after eating the world serpent's flesh. They're of uniform giant height with a metal serpent-band wrapping their arms, but they're not very large when compared to my Alex," Josh said with obvious distaste.
"Can the resistance help me to bring down Ronan? I won't make the same mistakes again. This time he will die by my hand," Noah's voice was filled with venom and loathing.
"It's not ready to act yet, but with you back, they may be willing to fight. David is the leader with Mistress Deville as his right hand. Their affair has now become public after she officially became a widow. Their hatred of Craig is enough to keep them motivated instead of cowering away. David has used his [Phantasm] ability to hide an entire segment of the Citadel to use as a base for the resistance. The resistance has managed to infiltrate members into the Airshark pilots, which is how I'm here now to search for you. Come with me, and I can get you on board before the Fallen ransack this island," Josh spoke with fanaticism.
Suddenly the room became illuminated, interrupting their discussion. Prismatic light burst through the broken tiles above to shine down on the group inside the ruined building. Noah no longer had to strategize a way to reach the beam of light. The Store entrance had come to him.
