Chapter 1: Mission

Tall buildings with transparent walls are the vogue in Seacrest. The high-tech architecture is sensational in the place, utilizing new advances. The architectures in Seacrest seek to avoid links in the past. The architectures emphasize transparency, seeking to communicate. Just like the white, which represents cleanliness, freshness, and simplicity. However, it has a negative side. Seacrest seems to be cold and isolated.

The Seacrest Main Hall has a LED wall. It produces colorful lights that shine every evening in the place. The lights make the place less lonely, that’s what The Zenith believes. The Zenith is in the highest position in the Seacrest. The person under this position prefers the pronoun ‘It’.

Inside in a white and cold room, Dealla Brouclier is staring blankly in the glass wall. The wall reflects her face. She has a heart-shaped face with a hawk nose and a thin upper lip. Dark circles are spotted under her almond eyes. She has been feeling blue for the past few days. It was her first mission yet, it failed. The Zenith told her to be proud of herself because she was able to survive.

How could she be proud when she was the only one who came home alive?

Yesterday, Leo informed her that she has a new mission together with Arnav Fisk Earwyn, the second most powerful person in the Seacrest.

It makes her ponder. How come he’s her partner? He’s always alone during his missions.

Dealla stops herself from pondering. She stares at her face for a while before getting to her feet. She prepares herself for her second mission.

Sucess is her only choice. One is enough. She no longer know what to do if the outcome will remain the same.

She changes her clothes into NPU's field uniform. Her uniform is a fitted white jumpsuit that has half-an-inch thick zippers down the front. Her stoic expression doesn’t change as she wears her black combat boots. Her emotionless eyes scan what she needed for the mission. Her gaze stops on her black padded belt, she fills it with different kinds of weapons.

“It's complete,” she whispers to herself.

She closes the war bag and hang it on her shoulder. The bright hallway is very silent and it made her heart hurts. The odd silence and coldness pierce a hole in her heart.

“I can no longer hear their voices, but I will always remember and treasure them. Forever.”

She is about to cry but she stops herself. She diverts her attention to the tapping sounds made by her combat boots. It is kind of satisfying noises.

When she enters the NPU'S main office, an odd atmosphere welcomes her. Some of the NPUs cannot look at her straight in the eyes and some of them are wearing unfamiliar facial expressions. Her gaze lands on Leo, the only person who acts like his usual self.

Leo is the commander of the NPU. He's always wearing stoic expressions and talk less. Dealla is comfortable with him because she thinks that he understands her since they have similarities. She could be right, Leo is an understanding person. However, he's very committed to his duty and the Zenith. He does everything for the Zenith, it's unhealthy for some reasons.

She goes to her chair where her name is printed on it.  No one greets her, it is unusual. She convinces herself that they are just being weird because of the tragedy that happened but there is a part of herself that doesn’t believe it. Her senses are telling her that there is something else, something is off.

"Good day. We are gathered to send off our co-NPUs, Arnav Fisk Earwyn, and Dealla Brouclier. They are assigned to a mission located in the Falling River..."

Dealla is very preoccupied. She doesn’t even comprehend everything. She only understands that she and Arnav will go to Falling River and eliminate new dangerous creators.

“I'm still an amateur for this. I don't deserve to be part of NPU. I don't deserve this position,” she tells herself.

Tears fell to her cheeks. She is about to wipe it but someone does it for her. She is shocked and embarrassed but the man only chuckles.

"You're spacing out, NPU Dealla,” the man says.

"I'm sorry, NPU Arnav." Those are the only words she can afford to blurt out.

"I don't like your words, NPU Dealla. Gather your senses. They'll send us after a minute."

She nods.

Speaking is hard for her to do. It is obvious that she is not in a healthy state but she is still given a mission. Maybe the rumor about how inconsiderable the Zenith is true. Dealla could no longer blame some NPUs for wanting to leave the group.

"Good luck, Dealla." Dylan hugs her.

Dylan is one of Dealla's close friends. He's playful and comfortable to be with. They have opposite personalities but they click to each other.

Another tear fell from Dealla's eyes. This is what she needs, a human's warmth and comfort. Unfortunately, her time is up. She needs to start her mission.

The employees in the Seacrest Main Hall turn their gazes away from Dealla and she notices it. It makes her more guilty. Some of them might feel sorry for her, some might blaming her for not saving her comrades, or maybe there is another reason.

She breathes deeply when they finally stop. They are in the Access, the main entrance of the Seacrest. One of the NPUs opens a portal for them. Arnav is the first one who steps in. It takes a few seconds before Dealla finally steps in and when she does, she sees how Dylan and the others cry.

She is so confused about what is happening. Before she can ask Arnav, he evaporates from her sight. She takes it as a sign. She has no time for confusion and doubts. Saving herself is the only thing she needs to do so that she can find Arnav and finish their mission.

A blue-green smoke comes out from her both hands. Her senses are heightened, she senses something dangerous, a presence she doesn't encounter before.

An odd-looking creature comes out from nowhere. It looks like a big burned bulldog with red eyes. It has a long tongue with stink saliva.

"This is what they were talking about. I must finish this now," she says while gritting her teeth.

She opens her war bag using her telekinesis ability. Daggers are floating because of Dealla's blue-green smokes.

"I must target the heart." She did.

She frowns when the creature lost its consciousness after she stabs it from the heart. There is no blood. The wound produces stink smokes until it eats the whole body of creatures and evaporates.

"It's not too dangerous. The presence I felt a while ago was not from this creature," she tells herself.

She shrugs and takes a picture of the residual and then she carefully collects it. The creature she encountered is new. The NPUs will have a research about it.

She heightens her senses again to find Arnav. She stops walking when she feels another presence, powerful yet calming. It's not a threat presence so she changes her direction towards it.

"Bulwark," she says when she sees the force field protecting the Bulwark, the place for ordinary people.

The shield, that's how they call the force field protecting the Bulwark. The shield is a rare flair. Flair is the term for special abilities or power.

There was one person who had the flair called, The Shield. Her name is Clandes. She was powerful but too soft-hearted.

"This is very fascinating," Dealla whispers to herself.

Her eyes are full of amazement. She finds something familiar from the shield. The color is similar to her smoke, which is blue.

She steps back and pulls her hands after she touches the shield.

"What was that?" she asks, about the glimpse of someone's memories she saw.

She is about to touch it again but she hears Arnav's voice, screaming her name. She collects herself and runs towards Arnav's location.

"Dealla." Someone pulls her and takes her to hide under the roots of a big tree.

"What is happening?" She is very alarmed. Her heart is beating fast. Arnav is holding her tightly. He just saw something that scared him.

"There's no point of hiding. They know our presence," he whispers.

Dealla is confused. It scares her how Arnav holds her, even his voice sounds so scared. How come? He's strong and the location is his advantage.

Arnav's flair is manipulating water. They're in the Falling River, the river that separates the Bulwark and the Embrima. Dealla’s eyes widen when she remembers the story of the Falling River.

"We'll fight." Dealla blurts out.

Arnav doesn't answer. He is the only one who knows their situation. He knows everything that's why he took this mission.

"No,” he sounds defeated.

Dealla is very confused, she is confused from the beginning of this mission. She's confused why she's partnered with Arnav, how the other NPUs reacted, and why this mission doesn’t have detailed plans. She is confused and it is the feeling that dominated her system.

"Listen, Dealla.” Arnav makes Dealla faced him.

Her confusion increases when she sees the expression of her partner. He's usually calm but his expressions now are showing contradiction of his usual self.

"I love you." Her eyes widen because of his words. It is not her first time hearing it but she usually hears it every time they share a kiss or after they kissed.

Her whole system alarms.

What the fuck is happening?

Arnav met their foreheads, both of them are breathing heavily. He cups her face. He wants to embrace her totally, he wishes.

"We'll meet each other again."

"Of course, we will!"

Arnav chuckles.

How does he managed to do that?

"I love you, Dealla. I do and I will always do."

She grips his arms that are embracing her.

"Why are you saying these things?" she finally asks in a calm tone.

Arnav shakes his head and that's when she realizes that from the beginning of the mission, everyone is hiding something from her. She is occupied with many thoughts and she wasn't able to comprehend the signs she saw before she entered the portal.

She comprehends now but it's too late.

"The Zenith wants me dead," she states.

"I love you.”

"I think, you meant I'm sorry."

"I love you, Dealla."

"Stop saying that," she cries.

She thinkst she deserves to die but she is also scared. She has a lot of dreams but if killing her means peace, then she'll take it. At least, that's what she thinks.

"Let's escape, Arnav." She feels embarrassed of what she said.

"We will."

She is shocked by his response. She thinks that he was joking but his eyes doesn't tell so.

"How?" she asks, desperately.

"Just remember everything I'll say and you'll be fine."

"What do you me–" He kisses her lips to cut her off.

Their kiss lasted for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, Dealla. I need to do this."

Before she could react, water crawls into her body. She knows that any moment, the water will be turned into ice and it will be her end.

She can fight, she really can, but she chooses to stay still and looks at the man she loves; taking her life.

At least, he's the one who'll end me.