Alitia: Welcome to Millenia

VIII: Metal Rises

There was one chilling moment where Luce's eyes met those of the hooded man. She couldn't see much about his features, but she knew their eyes were locked. When he finally broke the contact by backing away from the window and running, Luce was on her feet in an instant. She didn't offer any explanation to her friends before running after him.

"Luce, where are you going?" Iris asked hurriedly, chasing after her. Sylvia, surprisingly enough, followed after her. In fact, everyone did save for S.M., who was frowning deeply at them. She looked ready to give chase, but she still stayed where she was with a deep frown painted on her features.

Luce had been running for about half a block before the hooded man suddenly turned to face her. She drew her sword to fight back, though she knew it was going to be hard to get him up close. After all, he was a mage and could attack from far away, and Luce's sword exclusively worked at melee range. Despite this handicap though, Luce was ready to take on the challenge.

The man snapped one hand out before him, creating a ripple in the air. A dark sphere appeared, prompting him to hurl it forwards. Luce barely managed to dodge the hit, stepping to the right. She could feel the air distort as the orb whizzed past her ear. Her heart beat a little faster.

Iris arrived not long after. She glanced around for a moment before settling her gaze on a nearby streetlight. She pressed her palm against its surface. The metal quaked and distorted itself until it looked like a large gun, but it wasn't like any gun Luce had ever seen. It was much larger and couldn't even be carried around. It was more like a canon in that respect.

Iris fiddled around with the streetlight a while longer before grinning. She pressed her hand against the top of the newly-formed gun. Soon after, light exploded from the end of it, flying through the air towards the hooded man.

He had been too busy focusing on Luce to pay attention to Iris, so he was caught off guard when the light came in his direction. He flew backwards before hitting a nearby building. There was a visible dent from where he had landed. Luce heard him gasp as the air abandoned his lungs. She took a few steps closer and pointed her sword at his throat, ready to demand answers or grab him by the wrist to hopefully reverse the possession.

However, that didn't come to pass. Instead, the man cut her off by clapping one hand onto the pavement. A shockwave traveled through the ground, knocking Luce off her feet. The other five, who had caught up to her and Iris, were sent sprawling not long after. The only one who managed to dodge it was Iris, who evaded the chaos by transforming her gun into a platform that floated a few feet above the ground. Luce couldn't help but be impressed, even as she was sent to the pavement by the shockwave.

The hooded man blew something into the air. It looked to be dust, but Luce couldn't see very well since the particles were small and she was distant from where the man was now. She watched as the dust traveled through the air to attach itself to Iris.

The girl yelped in shock as the dust made its home on her skin. Shortly after, the dust seemed to be absorbed by her body, disappearing just as quickly as it appeared. Iris began to claw at her arms, muttering a few curses under her breath in a panic.

"Cancel dust," Tanith whispered in shock.

"Cancel?" Luce echoed with wide eyes.

"It's an illegal substance used to censor all magic. Only police are allowed to use it when they restrict incredibly dangerous criminals. It takes a few minutes to go into effect, but it can have awful effects when used in excess. Beings of magic being cut off from their power can cause medical issues, as they need it in order to survive," Tanith explained, her speech hurried from her panic. "We have to find a way to get that stuff away from her."