"So you're the group that defeated the Governor of Harthland? You seem like a fun bunch," said Erich.
"Yeah," Yuu replied simply.
They were aboard the Lizard that once belonged to the former Governor, now en route to the Esios border.
The Lizards were highly advanced war aircraft, produced by the wealthy Kasuga family of Atlas—staunch allies of the Kingdom. Yuu couldn't help but notice the disparity: on one side, those with boundless wealth; on the other, those who had nothing at all.
The two teams were supposed to work together to destroy a laboratory where experiments were being carried out on children.
The boy named Geist hadn't even spoken to them yet. He sat alone, isolated from the group. In contrast, everyone else seemed genuinely happy to meet them.
Kaito, always wearing a bright smile, chatted and laughed with everyone.
Gilbert looked serious, but Yuu noticed the rest of his team constantly teasing him. As the most senior and experienced member, command of the operation had been entrusted to him.
Erich hadn't stopped talking since they boarded the Lizard, recounting his past exploits like some kind of hero. Only Mira seemed remotely interested.
Katia spoke little, visibly embarrassed. "I'm not good at talking to strangers," she had said, face red with shyness.
While the others joked and laughed, Yuu made his way over to Geist. "Don't feel like joining us?" he asked.
The albino boy looked at him and, for the first time, replied: "There's no place for me there. Someone like me doesn't laugh as easily as you all do."
Yuu sat beside him. "I can only imagine what you've been through... but sooner or later, we have to leave the past behind to move toward the future," he said.
"And forget everyone who died for me? What do you know about it?" Geist turned away again."You'd better focus on the mission instead of wasting your breath."
But Yuu didn't give up. "I'm not asking you to forget the ones you lost. My parents were killed too. For a long time, all I sought was revenge... but in the end, I realized my place is here, with my new family."
The Lizard began to descend.
Geist turned and looked Yuu straight in the eyes for a moment. "Make sure you come back alive from this mission. Maybe then... we'll talk again." To Yuu, that was a small victory.
Once they disembarked from the Lizard, they set out immediately. Esios, the northernmost region of Anima, was blanketed in snow all year round. They had landed at the edge of a snow-covered forest and would need to travel a few miles on foot to reach the lab.
"Don't mind him," Kaito said. "He's had a rough past. Then again, haven't we all? I heard about your parents... I'm sorry."
Yuu thanked him, then asked: "Did you go through something too?"
"Oh yeah," Kaito replied. "You won't believe it, but just a couple of years ago, I was one of the personal guards of Governor Kana of Esios. There were four of us—we always got along well."
"I've actually met the Governor. She saved my life... accidentally."
"Trust me, she's a spoiled brat of the worst kind. Sometimes during my shifts, I'd overhear meetings with the other Governors—she didn't seem too popular even among them."
Yuu couldn't help but wonder—did all the Governors hate each other, like Raxis and Kana?
"One night, me and two of the guys went down into the palace basement by chance. Down there, we found a lab where they were running experiments on human test subjects. They were injecting children with strange substances to maximize their Esper potential. I heard those kids have since been moved... and that's exactly where we're headed."
Yuu shuddered. Just how far was the Kingdom willing to go?
Kaito continued: "Disgusted, the three of us decided to desert and join Libertas. When we pitched the idea to Misuto—the fourth member, who was on duty—he didn't take it well. He'd been in love with the Governor for as long as I can remember, and he still follows her around like a loyal puppy. He refused to join us but swore he'd cover our escape."
"Did he betray you?" Yuu asked.
"No. But that witch can read people's minds with her tricks. As soon as she found out what we were up to, she sent people after us. My teammates and I took down every enemy Esper... but in the end, I was the only one left standing."
"I'm sorry about your friends," said Yuu. "But... is Misuto still your friend?"
"I don't know. His loyalty belongs to the Governor. I doubt he'd ever dare to betray her."
"I see."
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
After hours of trudging through the snow, the laboratory finally stood before them. It was night, but the lights inside the facility were still on.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Toru asked.
"Simple," said Shinya. "Gilbert and I will sneak in and free the kids. The rest of you? Cause some chaos at the front entrance."
"Sounds like a garbage plan," Mira said bluntly.
"I like it," Yuu replied with a grin. "Finally, we get to go wild with our Vitalis!"
"By the way, do you guys even know how to use Vitalis?" Keiji asked the Esios team.
"Of course," Erich replied with a confident smirk.
"Once the fight starts, let's see who racks up the highest body count!" Yuu challenged.
"Go on, children, time to play," Shinya said with a smirk.
They didn't need to be told twice.
Geist was the first to move, dashing past the group and blowing the massive front doors open—just by lightly brushing his fingers against them.
"Whoa, how did he do that?" Keiji asked, wide-eyed.
"He can alter the trajectory of anything that comes into contact with him," Erich explained. "He can repel anything around him—like an invisible shield constantly protecting him. He's the strongest among us... but not exactly the most graceful."
The so-called "elegant one" then turned toward Mira. "Watch closely," he said.
In an instant, a magnificent pair of radiant white wings unfolded from his back.
"Wow... you look like an angel," said the ninja, clearly impressed.
As the first wave of armed guards approached, several feathers detached from Erich's wings and shot through their bodies like bullets. He gave Mira a playful wink.
Mira activated her own Vitalis, summoning a full arsenal of weapons in a dazzling display.Erich nodded in approval at her transformation.
The two air-type Espers charged forward, fighting side by side against a large squad of enemies.
Then Yuu joined the fray, launching himself into the heart of the chaos.
The moment Shinya and Gilbert led the prisoners to safety, Yuu stopped holding back and turned his focus to the facility's support columns.
"I'm going to erase this monstrosity from the face of the earth."
In the heat of the moment, Yuu caught sight of Geist, mercilessly tearing through the enemy forces—as if unleashing the pain of everything he'd suffered until now.
"Geist!" Yuu called out.
Just as the boy turned around, a sudden explosion sent him flying.
From the ruins at the center of the lab, two figures emerged.
Yuu recognized one of them immediately. Kana had appeared just as she had vanished before—without anyone noticing, and this time, she'd even landed a surprise attack.
The other was a man with long, neat brown hair and a faint beard.
"Oh, what the hell?!" Kana exclaimed.
Everyone froze.
"I was in the middle of my bath," Kana said, stepping forward casually, "when someone barges in yelling that Libertas is attacking one of my labs. You really could've picked a better time."
Kaito took a step forward. "A pleasure as always, Governor."
"Ah, the traitor," she said, eyes gleaming. "I was hoping you'd show up. I even brought Misuto just for you."
She gestured to the boy standing behind her.
"Take care of him," she ordered.
The boy protested: "Governor, me alone against one while you face nine opponents?"
"Obey!" she snapped, her voice cold and razor-sharp. "Are you suggesting I can't handle them?"
Misuto lowered his gaze and began walking toward Kaito.
The blond-haired Esper smiled and stepped away from the group, Misuto following in silence.
"If we capture Kana," Yuu said, eyes locked on the Governor, "we could free Esios too."
"Maybe," replied Shinya, "but remember the mission: destroy the lab, save the children, and get out. "Fighting her was never part of the plan."
"Doesn't matter," Geist growled. "Now that she's here, I'll tear her to pieces too."
In a flash, Geist lunged at the Governor, but she shielded herself with a burst of psychic energy. Yuu dashed behind her, trying to land a surprise attack—but she vanished.
A moment later, she reappeared a short distance away.
"Second time we meet, isn't it?" Kana said, smiling at Yuu. "But this time, you've picked the wrong opponent, kid. I'm nothing like Raxis."
"Yeah, I noticed," Yuu muttered. "You're way more obnoxious."
She burst out laughing. "I could've eliminated Kyorano back then, but I decided to wait. What fun is a game that ends too soon?"
Yuu now understood what Kaito meant. She really was full of herself—just like a spoiled brat.
Kana was faster and more agile than Raxis, but when it came to raw strength, she didn't seem as powerful.
Geist charged again, but once more, Kana evaded with ease. The albino boy spat on the ground in frustration.
"Hmm… white hair?" Kana tilted her head mockingly. "So you were a test subject too, huh? And now you're here to save those kids?"
Her voice was ice.
Yuu realized what she was about to do—but too late.
Blasts of psychic energy burst outward in all directions: the Espers managed to dodge, but several of the child test subjects were struck directly. Rivers of red poured from their small bodies and flooded the white snow.
Kana laughed again.
"They were innocent children!" Yuu roared.
This time, Geist was faster—he landed a clean hit on Kana's right side. Still laughing, she dropped to her knees in front of Yuu.
"How can you smile... while killing innocent children?!" he screamed, activating his Vitalis. "Flame of Purgatory!"
For the second time, flames erupted from the dragon-like scales on his body, engulfing Kana completely.
When the fire died down… there was nothing left of her.
"Nice job, man. You did it," said Toru. "From now on, we're calling you Yuu, the Governor Slayer."
"She is still alive," said Shinya, eyes narrowed.
"What?" Yuu asked, still trembling with rage.
"Right after you launched your attack, I felt a faint psychic energy dissolve. I'm afraid you and Geist were fighting nothing more than one of her illusions."
"What? She can really do that?" Keiji asked, stunned.
"I've never seen an Esper with that ability, but I'm certain it was an illusion—materialized from whatever she sees in her mind," Shinya explained.
"So we were fighting thin air," Yuu said.
"Don't think about her now. Go to the survivors."
Many of the children they'd come to save were dead. Gilbert grabbed the comm and reported back to command.
Yuu joined the others in helping the prisoners in the snow. Some were lightly wounded, others in critical condition. For many, there was nothing left to be done. Yuu knelt beside a girl lying face-down in the snow and gently pulled her up. She didn't seem injured. Her dark eyes opened slowly as he looked at her face.
"Yuu...?"
She had said his name.
"But you... It's impossible... I thought you were dead... Khala..."
The girl rose to her feet and hugged him. Yuu felt a warmth so intense it felt like the snow around them was evaporating.
"You have no idea how much I missed you, Yuu. I dreamed for so long that you would come to free me—and today that dream came true."
Yuu took off his uniform jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Khala was wearing only a prisoner suit; she was probably freezing. She smoothed her long brown hair, tied into two pigtails that fell over her shoulders, with two strands framing her face. Her hands were covered by a pair of gloves. Even before Yuu had known her, Khala had suffered a terrible fire accident that left her hands horribly burned. Yuu knew how ashamed and embarrassed she felt whenever the subject came up, and he had never asked to see them.
"You're an... Esper?" she whispered.
"That's right," he replied. "My dream came true three years ago, and now we're finally fighting the Kingdom. Besides, I'm not the only one who became an Esper." Yuu motioned to the rest of his friends.
When Keiji, Toru, and Mira saw Khala, they were stunned as well. Their reunion, however, was abruptly cut short.
"We're pulling back," the Esios team leader announced as new orders came in. "Two Lizards are waiting at the border. One will take the prisoners to Sira, the other will bring us to the battlefield. Kyorano managed to lure Astalia's Governor Garga into a trap and captured him."
"So this whole thing was a diversion to make Garga think our defenses were weak?" Katia asked.
"That seems to be it. Find Kaito and let's move. Anyone able should help the injured—unfortunately we must leave the dead."
"Wait," Geist stopped them. "I have to bury them first. I could never leave them like this."
"We don't have time! We just received an order!" Gilbert snapped.
Yuu looked at Geist for a moment, then joined him.
"Thanks," Geist said quietly.
"These children will rest in peace now, after a life spent here."
A little later Kaito arrived; he was carrying Misuto unconscious over his shoulder, his wrists in shackles.
"Yo," he greeted them.