KZG:313

Chapter Fifteen

Reunion

When I came to, it seemed like I was in a familiar place; I was back on an operation table that was very similar to Cybonia's. Instinctively I called out, "Dec'Qa? C-Cinal?" I looked around and saw the room was empty. No one else was here. I tried to move the rest of my body but found that I couldn't. It was clear that I had been moved, but the conditions outside had caused my body to go into lockdown to help conserve energy and warmth. If I wanted to get back on my feet, I had two options; I either had to sit and wait for the lockdown to wear off, or I had to force my systems online. I didn't know where I was, or whether that figure I saw was real, so, I wasn't about to sit around and wait. I began to force the rest of my body to comply. Slowly, painfully, but very certainly, I was back on my feet. One thing I noticed as I did so was the new color scheme of my armor. My once red and blue armor had taken on an icy blue and white scheme. I didn't stop to wonder why. If it had anything to do with my previous affinity for absorbing energy properties, I wasn't about to question it. That confused me as much as... well I didn't have a comparison. After looking around, I exited the room via the door that was two-and-a- half meters to the left of the operation table and stepped into an icy hallway.

After getting over the fact that the entire house seemed to be encased in, if not made from, ice, I found a staircase that led into a foyer. I walked down the stairs and out the ginormous door. The white crystalized substance was still blowing, and it was still freezing. I knew I needed to find Speelsa, but I also needed to figure out if Ladasha was okay. As I left, I saw some drag marks and footprints. I followed them and they led right... to...

"The ship!" I limped over, due to not fully recovering my entire range of motion. I examined what was left of the makeshift vessel. How I didn't notice it before, I didn't know. The best I could imagine was the lack of visibility. Based on where the drag marks from the front door ended, it looked as though the actual wreckage was about half a kilometer behind the start of the drag marks.

Just like before, everything was scorched. Everything except for a heavily shielded navigation device, which I took and strapped to my right arm with the use of the long and loose wires that came with it. After getting it strapped to me, I followed some more tracks I noticed going around the back of the ship.

The tracks led me to, and stopped on the rocky road of, a town in which I became aware of my unusual appearance. For the first few miles I limped along, only looking around at the number of aligned buildings along the road; primitive in style, but sturdy nonetheless.

By the sixteenth mile, the town was a lot more populated. Shops lined and filled the road, and the local inhabitants were out and about, performing a number of sales with a flimsy greenish rectangular-shaped currency. As cold as it was, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were all dressed in a sort of cloth-like material that I could only guess kept them warm. I attempted to blend in as much as possible, and no one seemed to have an issue with me. Or rather, no one said anything about how I looked, but they did steer clear of me. As I walked on, many people whispered among themselves. A few had looks of fear. Some giggled and pointed in my direction. A couple young ones waved. I waved back, but continued on. But I knew if I wanted to find Speelsa or Ladasha, I'd have to talk to someone. Walking around, I became lost in my thoughts about how I was gonna make that happen, so much so that I almost didn't notice the person I was about to run into. They ran into me, and they fell back in surprise, but I caught them before they hit the ground.

"Ah!" I exclaimed. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

"Ooh!" the voice was female. "That's okay. Should have been watching where I was going." She steadied herself and smoothed her cloth dress. "I'm heading back to my home to look after someone. They're not well, so y'know." I nodded.

"Time is of the essence, I'm sure. Well don't let me hold you up." She looked up at me and she looked visibly shocked. "Are you okay?" She examined me from head to toe. I was confused.

"Forgive me for asking but, may I ask about that necklace?" I looked down at Shard.

"This? It was a gift from someone I care about. Kinda like you, I'm looking for her. But so far...no luck."

"Where is she from?" I hesitated before answering. If people were staring at me for the way I looked, they'd probably flip their lids if I told them that I came from another world.

"She's... well not from around here. She was kicked from her home and... well let's just say I've been looking for her for a while, and looked everywhere she seemed to leave a trail. Not gonna lie, it's been really rough."

"I might be out of line, but may I see the necklace?" Immediately I was on guard. "Ah... I see. Not one for giving it away. She must be really special to you." I felt myself blushing.

"It's...all I have left of her. Until I find her, that is."

"And... if you don't? Or can't?" I shook my head slowly.

"That's not an option for me... or for her... I made her a promise that I would. No matter what."

"And... how long ago was that?"

"I doubt if I told you, you'd believe me." She began to chuckle. Something about is seemed off though. It was very familiar. "What?"

"I'm fairly certain I would," she said in a tone that I thought was nostalgic relief. "Isicianius Pax."

"How... do you know me?" I asked, even more suspicious. She pulled her hood down, and my confusion melted. I was greeted with a pair of electric blue eyes, a familiar tan face, and spiky caramel brown hair that had been cut and tied back. Suddenly, her questions made sense and the loss of the Ti'e Ma'ti's light didn't weigh so heavily on me anymore. "Speelsa..." I couldn't say anything. There wouldn't have been much to say. Despite how cold I felt, all I could do was hug her, knowing that, for now, my mission was complete, but also acknowledging the reality of how lucky it was that I'd crashed on the right planet. I failed to protect Speelsaîūm. No way would I fail to protect Speelsa. That being said, Ti'e Ma'ti or no, I had another job to do. I have to finish what I started.... Somehow.