Division

- II • At The Edge of The Maelstrom -

- D'mantis' POV -

It was all so sore. There's no place to stay. What was I thinking.. what was I thinking. I never pulled myself together in time. They took what I found and I sure hope they don't come looking for me. There won't be no D'mantis to find. They never found me.

He snapped in my face. "Im talking to you, D'man. I need answers." I looked up, I had zoned out. On the very edge of disasters resided the small hut filled with trinkets, weapons, and the weird collection of trivial things. My only somewhat-welcoming home.

"Do you know where Feld is?" He asked again. "I've told you, he's Orion now... but yes, I do. Not under this 'possession' anymore, apparently." I responded. "Possession, huh." He looked at his implant, almost as if he was Orion. "I knew he felt off. I assume they're on high guard. I saw what Solio did to herself, all that tech. As her influence to me? The scar on my nose? She ripped my damn horn out. Fel- er, Orion knew me. Saved me, D'man. Don't make me feel like I trust you though. I know I cant."

I grunted, understanding of myself. "Tachi, you did what you could and you escaped alive. When all of Storm's End fled, they took Orion with them. He's not under her control without his implant. Be glad your body reacted with the augments badly enough so you didn't have to take it. You'd be Solio's right-hand man."

Tachi scoffed, "Still would treat me like she did. Now... I need to get to them. We're better united. Excluding you though..." He trailed off. Did he feel.. bad? For me? Me and my actions? "Look. I don't mean to come off as hating you as much as they might, but you're paying for it right now. I know the trust im labeling you with is the most I can. Dare I say.. thank you.. and I'm sorry. For your actions."

"Wait-" I stopped him. "Show me the sword you were talking about." He paused in his tracks and gave me a cold glare. "...Fine." He grabbed the sword off the stand in his room. It was almost perfect, the shine on the blade and the fresh-crafted grip. "I've... had it for a long time.."

"When I first woke it was broken, blade wasn't right, nothing was nearly as clean as it is. Broken like the memories firsthand." He reached for another thing, when he grabbed it I had immediately recognized what.

"You- that's... Zen's implant! Solio broke it, how did you-" "She made me repair it. For good reason she didn't know of." The sword had a perfectly-shaped socket just for an implant. "The socket was already on the sword when I found it."

He inserted the implant into the sword socket, and glanced at me, "Look at it." Not shortly after a bright, blinding light shone from the implant, to the point it hurt, I shielded my eyes.

Tachi snickered. "Im sorry, being alone for such a long time makes me itch to joke." I grunted and looked back, vision still a little disoriented. "Hey, Zen. been a bit since we talked." Tachi welcomed.

I stared at him. There's no way he was talking to him. Zen was murdered in cold blood. "You're delusional. He died nearly half a year ago." Tachi smiled and stuck the sword in my hand and crossed his arms. A voice in my head soon surfaced, echoing in my mind like a dark, empty cave.

"D'mantis?" He spoke. "Right. Tachi told me what he knew.. what happened to you?" Zen continued. "..." "D'ma-" "Its not important." He paused. The way he spoke, the tone he had, it was all the same. "I won't pester you. Think about it though."

I handed the sword back to Tachi. "Hmmm.. D'man, point me in the right direction. You can come with me, just stand back and stay hidden, they'll kill you." Tachi took the same grey scarf and still owned a few Pridefoul union uniforms, seeing how he had nothing else.

Me and Tachi trekked through the tall grass and brush, conversing as we go. "How does Zen feel about you being around the one who killed him?" I asked. He repeated the question to Zen, then repeated what he was told to me. "Zen said.. 'I understand why he did the thing he did, because it wasn't truly him. Though the thing I did? I don't know why I did it. Im also unsure if Orion will even want to talk to me. Do you imagine the guilt he feels?"

Me and Orion can have a little level. Plum... she told me recently after we saved him, why Orion was what he was. I didn't believe her fully, but it's beginning to line up. How Tachi doesn't have an augmented one, he's his normal self. He just pretended he did.

"Psst! D'man, crouch in the brush over there. Do not let yourself be seen. Do. Not." Tachi pointed to the left graze of heavy trees and put his sword on his back. I ducked into the leaves and grass, observing from afar.

Tachi waved to the residents, which only one came forth. Orion, of course. The others probably didn't trust him any more than Echo and Vulx. Orion approached him, almost looking regretful. I faintly heard the voices speak.

"Tachi...? I thought Solio killed you.." Orion spoke, cold and disbelieving. He held something in his hand, something that was taken from The Maelstrom. From me. That crystal ball.

"Orion, right... I've been solo for longer than the rocks been around in the northern river. It's glad to see you again. A traveler... told me what they knew about your location. They're on their own now." Tachi was obviously talking about me. They might've known, and if anything it'd be better to tell them it was me.

Orion gave him the look, one that spoke the voice of someone with strains of both coldness and warmth. "I missed you." Orion muttered.

"I know."