Zavis motioned for me to come help him with the mana detainers. Instead I stood back a moment looking on in disbelief. So he’d known I wasn’t Lyssa? Since when had he known? This could’ve been considered a major icebreaking moment but rather than pursue the issue, the green-haired demon nonchalantly approached the closest mana detainer. Once Zavis moved to within five feet of the nearest device it instantly snapped shut and fell. The mana detainer stopped abruptly before hitting the ground and then proceeded to lower itself at a snail’s pace until it made contact. It wasn’t until the mechanical marvel physically touched down that its lights went out completely.

                “How long have you known? Is it only because I’ve been asking questions that you were able to figure it out?” Stumbling hard over a raised chunk of broken concrete, I flailed my arms in an attempt to regain my balance.

                “Since the first moment I laid eyes on you today, I’ve known. The way you and Lyssa each carry yourselves is completely different.” Zavis responded. He didn’t turn to address me but instead focused his attention on the mana detainer at his feet.

                Regaining my balance, I pushed back the crimson hair that’d fallen over my eyes in time to see the mechanical ball shoot up into the palm of Zavis’ outstretched hand. Walking up to the next nearest ball myself, I attempted the same. I placed my hand over the device, palm down and ready to receive it. Nothing happened… “How do you get them to do that?” I asked, watching Zavis retrieve yet another mana detainer without bending over to pick it up.

                Placing the retrieved ball into the satchel at his side, Zavis turned to face me and responded by imitating the pull of a zipper over his mouth. Unhitching the satchel he hadn’t yet put any devices into, Zavis tossed the bag over to me. I promptly caught it and only then did he speak. “You are already failing to follow direction. Once the detainers have completed their functions they are proximity regulated to power down. They are safe for you to pick up when the lights have completely shut off.”

                Grumbling at Zavis’ disinterest in answering my questions, I begrudgingly fastened the satchel over my shoulder since I didn’t have a belt to which I could attach it. Once more I watched Zavis move one of the devices from the ground to his hand without leaning or bending over at all. If these machines weren’t responding to his presence then was it some sort of magic Zavis was using? Glaring at the unpowered ball at my feet I sighed and knelt down to pick it up.

                The two of us parted ways to pursue our own line of mana detaining devices and twenty-odd minutes later, I caught up to Zavis’ portion of the line. He stood and waited patiently for me to finish my side of the task, satchel at his side nearly overflowing to the top with the little ball machines

                “Good work, I’ll be taking those.” Zavis beckoned with an upturned palm, indicating he wanted me to hand over the satchel.

                “I still want to know how you did that with the balls.” I grumped, pulling the satchel’s strap up over my head.

                “That is again, something Lyssa already knows the answer to.” Zavis exhaled, grabbing the bag from my hand.

                “I get that, but it’s like you said earlier. I’m not Lyssa and the only way for me to know things is to ask questions so that I can get answers.” I protested, splaying my arms out to physically show my frustration at his unreasonable demands. How could he expect me to know things if I didn’t ask questions?

                “I won’t argue the fact that you do have a valid point… and in large part your questions themselves shouldn’t be an issue.” Zavis attached the satchel I’d handed him to his belt and his features twisted into the shape of one who was deep in thought.

                “Then what exactly do you expect me to be able to do about it?” I demanded.

                Crimson Fields and the content included in these chapters belongs to Aiyoki and is exclusively available to read for free on scribblehub dot com.

                If you are reading this story on any other site, be aware that it has been stolen and should be reported and/or taken down immediately.

                “You’ll need to be taught the things you, as Lyssa, should know and be aware of. Lulu, Mayv’lar, and I are fine to ask if there’s something you need to know about but you should refrain from asking questions of anyone else or you might raise unnecessary suspicion.” Secondary satchel secured at his side, Zavis motioned for me to follow before turning to walk away.

                “I don’t get it. If you so easily figured out I wasn’t Lyssa then why didn’t Lulu notice?” Catching up to Zavis, I leaned forward as I walked, attempting to catch a glance at the man’s features when he responded. Instead I found a wall of thick crimson strands blocking my view. This long hair was getting to be very annoying… I righted myself and pushed back the hair that’d gotten in my way.

                “I suspect Lulu already knows that the Lyssa originally residing in that body is no longer present. Of course you would know this if you truly were Lyssa but Lulu is the purest embodiment of laziness Neth’Lareese has ever seen and she likely couldn’t care less about who is in possession of the physical manifestation known as Lyssa.” Zavis increased his pace, forcing me to match in order to keep up.

                Being lazy I could understand. Right at the beginning that’d been something I’d noticed about Lulu. She actively desired not to do things in excess, going so far as to demand that other people work for her so she could continue being lazy. It made me wonder if her extremely long hair might have something to do with an unwillingness to cut it herself… And then there were the events of earlier and how Lulu’s behavior had changed so drastically after fighting against the Charmolgrath. It was like she’d transitioned into a feral beast and started lashing out at anyone who came too close. Even if I hadn’t know her for more than a day yet, it didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t feel normal.

                “Will Lulu be alright? Before you knocked her out, she didn’t appear to be acting normally.” I asked, stopping in my tracks and looking back when I happened to pass Zavis by.

                “Yes. As far as I’m aware Lulu will be fine, but what happened tonight does bring up a few grave concerns.”

                “Like what exactly?” Curious, I raised a quizzical brow to catch Zavis’ gaze.

                “Ahem. You need not concern yourself about that for now.” Clearing his throat, Zavis dodged the inquiry. “Once we get back to headquarters, you and Lulu will be given new uniforms to wear. The preparation room will allow the two of you to get cleaned up and dressed before the post operations meeting begins.”

                Uniform? Why would Lulu and I need to wear uniforms? Instead of Zavis giving me answers, he left me with even more questions I wanted to ask. I should’ve been mad at him for it, but his dead serious tone and the solemn expression he had on his face just served to make me even more confused. More questions, more answers that only served to stir up even more questions… In light of how swamped my brain felt right now, I opted to save any further questions I might have for later. It then occurred to my senses that we’d moved out of the damaged area of the city and were now headed toward a fenced off edge of town. Similar to the fence I’d seen at the bathhouse, this waist-high fence formed a barrier along the city’s edge. On the other side of the fence, a steep incline disappeared into a glowing abyss. An uneasy nervousness rose up in my throat and I swallowed hard in order to shove it back down. The Charmolgrath had come from there and I secretly feared the possibility of seeing another like it emerge from the abyss below.

                “Stop gawking like an awestruck child. The waybridge is this way.” Zavis scolded, waving his wrist in the air at me.

                “W-woah!” I returned to full awareness in time to notice the strong force of wind that carried me, forcing my body to walk the most direct path towards Zavis. He stood on a raised circular platform made of metal. Four arching prongs engraved with ornate designs lay resting over the circle. The peculiar wind pressing at my back didn’t cease until I’d stepped both feet onto the unusual looking contraption.

                “Steady yourself now, we’ll be heading across.” Zavis instructed, waving his hand over the platform.

                “Heading across?” I asked, perplexed.

                Zavis nodded and pointed out beyond the city’s fence line. “The Enforcer’s Headquarters is over there.” Each of the four curved prongs retracted to the sides of the platform. A series of glowing runic circles appeared at our feet and immediately I worked to steady myself as the platform began to rise up off the ground.

                “The fighting is over now so couldn’t I just go home? It’s really late and I’m sure I could use some sleep... Do I really need to go over there with you?” I asked nervously. I wanted answers but the foreboding obsidian black castle we were floating towards didn’t appear all that inviting to me.

                Zavis shook his head in disagreement. “I’m afraid the situation calls for it. The city is now in a state of disaster awareness. Whenever Neth’Lareese is perceived to be imminently threatened, all founders including yourself are required to gather and discuss countermeasures.”

                “Oh… Well I guess that makes sense…” Giving in to the situation, I started to sigh in halfhearted acceptance but stopped short halfway through. “Wait, what do you mean by founders?” I asked, face turning pale as my voice cracked.