All was quiet. Despite the wave of chaos that crashed through the city; the night passed peacefully. A warm sensation enveloped Kyros’ body as he lied in his bed. He tossed and turned, groaning in discomfort. The familiar feeling belonged to only one thing—the sun.

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and regretted it immediately. He was blinded by the sun’s rays that bleached through the windows and illuminated his room.

It was a fresh, new day. And the military captain didn’t even want to get up and greet it. Not after all the tragedies that occurred last night. He wished to remain in bed and hope that it was all a dream. But, of course, his wish wouldn’t be granted.

Life was never that simple for him.

With great reluctance, he finally got out of bed then washed himself up for the long day ahead of him. He skipped out on breakfast and immediately headed to the roof of the building to collect his thoughts in the fresh air. The moment he entered his way onto the roof, his feet carried him over to the edge of the building where he then proceeded to watch the civilians of the city go about their day.

He found it amusing how happy and peaceful they all seemed—like the events of last night never happened. The tragedy the people faced was nothing more than a memory of the past. The civilians continued to go about their days in ignorant bliss.

Kyros couldn’t blame them.

With an enormous wall encircling the nation, a massive army standing at the ready for defense, and the leadership of the Generals--how could anyone not feel safe and secure? The people saw all three of those things as symbols of hope.

However, some doubt lingered in the back of Kyros' mind.

Were they truly safe?

The combined efforts of the police and military force weren’t even enough to bring down a single, wounded Exousia. And yet, the combined efforts of four Hunters managed to do what they couldn’t? What was even the point of having police and military forces if four people from the Gardens of Eden could just show up and upstage them as if it were nothing?

“You didn’t come out here to kill yourself, right?” Kyros turned to see Elias approaching him while lighting a cigarette.

“I just came out here to get some fresh air.”

Elias took a drag of his cigarette then blew his smoke in his friend’s direction. “There’s fresh air everywhere, Kyros.”

“Not if you smoke in this direction,” Kyros grimaced and wafted the smoke elsewhere, not wishing for the harmful substance to invade his body and destroy his lungs, “how many times have I told you to stop smoking? Those things kill, you know?”

“As do the Exousia and the Varvara,” He waved off the warning, “so, you still gonna beat yourself up over what happened last night?"

"Losing a battle and comrades isn't something one gets over in a span of a night's sleep," Kyros stated. He turned his back to his friend and continued to watch the civilians pass on the street.

"Yeah. That's true," Elias nodded. "But, moping about it on this rooftop won't make things any better."

"I know that..." Kyros' hands balled into fists. "I'm not moping. I'm just trying to decide my next course of action. There's just so much to do."

"Like what?"

"My original mission," Kyros faced his friend. "Before the Exousia sighting, my unit was tasked with finding the source of the Varvara infiltrations."

Elias dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his foot. He pulled out another and lit it. "Right. That has been a problem here as of late."

"You're far too lax about this," Kyros complained, not knowing whether to feel fortunate or insulted that his friend remained ignorant to most of the dangers the country faced. "The country's been under Varvara attack for over a month."

"Guess the military needs to get off their asses. It's been years since those monsters managed to breach the walls." Elias took a long drag of the cigarette. "Honestly, I blame the Exousia for all of this."

"How come?"

The thought of blaming the Exousia never crossed Kyros' mind. Sure, Exousia were just as destructive as the Varvara, if not more. However, those two forces had nothing to do with each other.

"Think about it. Last time the Varvara breached the walls were around forty or fifty years ago."

"For obvious reasons," commented Kyros, trying to figure out where his friend was going with the conversation.

"Well, that obvious reason is gone now. However, new ones have shown up."

"The Exousia." Kyros assumed.

"Bingo," Elias flicked his cigarette off the roof. "Remember, Varvara spawn where large concentrations of negative energy gather. No doubt the Exousia have the people terrified all around the world. I bet we're not the only country going through this."

Kyros frowned and crossed his arms. He couldn't refute the words of Elias. It made sense. The arrival of the Exousia negatively altered the world. Ordinary people couldn't feel safe with those beings around.

Their fear and anxiety would act as beacons for the Varvara.

"That theory alone has made my job much harder, Elias." Kyros ran his hand through his hair. He stepped away from the edge of the building and paced back and forth. "I can't exactly return to my superiors and tell them the Varvara can't be stopped."

"Everyone already knows that. They've been around for as long as man can remember." Elias pointed out. "Besides, don't you need to report back to Headquarters anyway? Don't you still have to give written reports on how your mission went?"

Kyros stopped pacing. A wave of anxiety coursed through his entire body.

Elias was correct about the procedure.

After every mission, it was mandatory for the soldiers to give detailed reports. But, Kyros didn’t want to make the report.

He was already under the microscope—had the higher-ups breathing down his neck, carefully surveilling his every move. Reporting his defeat would only give them another reason to kick him out of the military. And if he returned without any progress on his initial mission, no doubt the higher-ups would have a field day with him.

Kyros wanted to avoid that at all costs.

He needed something. Anything that would help him make his trip down from the peak worth it.

"The military still on your ass?" Elias inquired.

"Yeah..." Kyros hung his head.

"Ever thought about quitting?" Elias suggested. Unlike Kyros, the man hadn't an ounce of respect for the military. He understood long ago how things worked in that organization. Fortunately, he left before it got worse for him. "You spent nearly you're entire life faithfully serving them. And yet, any mistake you make, they hold it against you."

"I'm a Captain after all, Elias. That's how it works."

"You know what I mean, Kyros. No matter how high up the chain of command you climb, they'll never see you as anything else than a potential tra--"

"That's enough!" Kyros exclaimed. He sharply turned around and glared at his friend.

Elias didn't even flinch. Knowing for a fact that Kyros wouldn't harm him. Not without proper provocation.

"Touchy." The man shrugged his shoulders and slipped his hands into his pockets. Finished with his smoke break, he turned left Kyros alone on the rooftop.

Kyros took a few deep breaths and ran his hand through his hair again. Losing his temper by mere words was one of the first things he was taught not to do.

He turned and faced the city, taking in the beautiful sights and collecting his thoughts. No matter what adversity Soteria faced, Kyros believed that the country would stand strong. It always had since the beginning.

Confident with his conviction, Kyros headed back inside, stopping in front of the door once he heard two unfamiliar voices making their way up the stairwell.

“So, what’s on our agenda today, Runa?” Sarra asked.

"Hopefully complete the Varvara mission and get paid," Runa answered. "I'm getting sick and tired of this place, Sarra."

Runa and Sarra.

Kyros recognized those names from the news report last night. They were the Huntresses that helped Elma and Chayse capture Thelo. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, overhearing how Huntresses would perform their duties.

His curiosity getting the best of him; Kyros moved around the door and hid behind the wall before the Huntresses made their way out onto the rooftop.

“Where should we go first?” Sarra asked.

“Not sure,” Runa shrugged her shoulders as she approached the edge of the building. She stared across the vast city before her, silently admiring its beauty. “This country’s massive. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Sarra approached the edge as well, preparing to sit on it until Runa stopped her. Pouting, the little girl rested her arms on it instead.

“The client wants us to figure out how the Varvara are getting here and deal with the source, right? It’s gonna be tough to do that when we have to deal with Exousia.” She complained.

“Hopefully there aren’t any more here. But, that’s just wishful thinking.” Runa looked over at her partner. “Besides us, you mentioned there were six Exousia in the area, right?”

“Yeah.” Sarra nodded.

Kyros’ eyes widened once he heard the revelation.

Runa and Sarra, Huntresses from the Gardens of Eden, were Exousia. A deadly combination. It was unfair for a mix like that to even exist in the world. It certainly explained how they managed to defeat Thelo last night.

They had supernatural powers.

Kyros wanted to act quickly by arresting the both of them before anything else happened. However, he had no proof of their statement. If anything, it’s all hearsay. Without definite evidence, all he could do was let them go free.

He had no plans to let them off that easily. He figured that his best option was to wait things out and collect information on them for the time being.

“What do you think is gonna happen to that Exousia from last night anyway?” Sarra asked.

“Does it matter?” Runa shrugged her shoulders, showing her indifference towards the situation. “I dunno how this kingdom handles its criminals, but it’s none of our concern. Whatever they have planned for him, it’s probably not good.”

“This kingdom doesn’t think too highly of Exousia do they?”

“Can you blame them? Exousia haven't exactly been making good names for themselves the past seven years." Runa mentioned; the hint of disdain in her voice reached Kyros and Sarra.

“But, isn’t it horrible how everyone categorizes all of them as horrible people? You and I are nothing like the one from last night.”

“I know that we are, but others don’t. If anyone in the country were to find out that we’re Exousia, there’s no telling what they’ll do to us.”

“So, we gotta make sure to stay on our toes. So far, I’ve sensed the presence of six Exousia in this country besides us,” Sarra said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more out there somewhere. With a country of this size, there’s plenty of holes for the Exousia to hide in.”

“Speaking of which, I’m sensing another Exousia in the area. It’s close,” Sarra mentioned—her voice trembled, “I think one perhaps lives in this apartment building.”

Kyros’ heart rate increased at alarming levels. He clutched his chest in a desperate attempt to settle his beating heart.

The situation had changed. It was too dangerous to stay there any longer. He looked around the roof for any means of escape since the door wasn’t an option.

The emergency exit was also out of the question. It was on the other side of the roof—the Huntresses’ side to be exact. Kyros would’ve been spotted immediately if he walked out over there.

That left him with only one option.

The rooftop of the other building. It didn’t seem to be that far. If he built up enough momentum, escape would be possible. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Just when he prepared to proceed with his half-baked plan of escape, a throbbing pain coursed through his head, instantly stopping him. The pain flared up in his head like a raging inferno. It felt like his head was going to split in two.

Kyros pressed his hands against his head and yelled out in excruciating pain, which captured the attention of the Huntresses. Runa and Sarra wandered over to Kyros and attempted to help him in any way that they could.

“What the hell is with this guy?! Where’d he come from?!” Runa exclaimed.

“I don’t know! But he’s hurt! We gotta do something!” Sarra panicked.

Standing proved too much for Kyros. He dropped to the ground and writhed in pain. All his strength and willpower directed to ease the unbearable pain in his head.

The Huntresses shook Kyros and called out to him. But, their voices were drowned out by the screams.

Multiple visions raced through Kyros’ mind as the painful sensation coursing through his head decided to traverse through his body as well. He saw and heard several events occurring that he had no recollection of—as if he was there, at that moment. Once the visions had finally ceased, Kyros sat up, trying to recapture his breath.

The pain that plagued his body quickly disappeared along with the visions. He disregarded the sudden relief of pain and focused solely at the palm of his hands. Though he was no longer in any pain, a slight burning sensation lingered.

The palm of his hands began to emanate a small source of light as he continued to stare at them. On his left hand, an engraving of the number one. On the other hand, the number fifty.

Runa and Sarra stared intensely at the man. Sarra moved her hand behind her back and gripped the handle of her dagger. Runa slowly pushed the little girl behind her while she held her spear tightly in her other hand.

Kyros froze as an immense killing intent exerted from the Huntresses.

He thought he’d grown used to that feeling—that dread. But, time and time again, he was proven wrong. Even as the Huntress raised her weapon to strike him; his body refused to move.

Was that it?

Was that where he was going to die?

He didn’t want to die.

All he had to do was raise his hands and guard against her attack. But, that moment never came. The shaft of Runa's weapon struck him in the back of the head.

Darkness clouded his vision as he drifted off into unconsciousness.