The first house had a fragile stairway, and Kiara could hear people upstairs. The place would collapse a second after she put her foot on those. That was plenty of time.

  The world went grey as she slowed down time and jumped up the stairs. There were 6 people, two parents and 4 children. They hadn't processed Kiara's presence yet, but Kiara didn't have time to introduce herself. She lifted two of the children and carried them downstairs, warily avoiding the collapsing parts of the staircase, and left them on the ground floor before coming up for the rest. It went smoothly enough, but Kiara did underestimate the stability of the stairs, and they completely fell as soon as she took her last step off. Kiara unfroze time, and the people saw her.

  "Mum… who is that?"

  "A nice lady from the Palace, see her badge? Say thank you now."

  "Thank you!" The family said together, and they left briskly.

  Looking outside, Shogai was lifting giant pieces of rubble and throwing them out of the way, leaving a straight path to the outside of the village. The family nodded towards him and rushed away.

  A few other people, who seemed to have been hiding, cautiously left their houses when they saw the escape route. That was maybe 12 people. There was still probably a large group somewhere that hadn't escaped. That was when Kiara saw some steps on the side of a road. Underground. A black market.

  A bang was heard. Kiara and Shogai both immediately looked to the sound of the noise, and saw a figure enter the area. It was a Deviant, for sure. One with green horns. It had been a while, but Shogai and Kiara both recognised her. Deviant Prime 4. Vera.

  There was one little thing off about her, however. The Outer Ranks that fought her had said that she was lazy and careless, hence how they got out alive. That description didn't match the wide-awake and focused eyes of this Deviant. Did that mean Vera had learnt from her mistake? Would she refuse to hold back?

  Vera's eyes narrowed on the duo, and she hissed.

  "Shogai. The one who killed Sekara."

  There was no more hesitation. Vera immediately closed the distance between Shogai and herself, before Kiara could even slow down time, and a punch was thrown. That was far faster than Shogai could react to, and the shockwave was so powerful that Kiara had to look away to save her eyes from being blinded by dust.

  "Shogai!"

  There was no way he could have survived that. Kiara warily looked back, fearing the worst, but Vera's punch hadn't connected. She stopped, mere inches from Shogai's head, looking beyond him. Kiara followed her eyes to see Wright standing with his arms crossed. He had a serious expression.

  "Wright." Vera said, and she stood up straight, eyes narrowed.

  "Vera. Been a while. Last we fought, I believe you ran away?"

  The Deviant rolled her eyes.

  "I told you then. I was tired. I'd been awake for like 12 whole hours at that point. But unless my memory fails me, I demanded a rematch at a later date?"

  "Aye. Something along the lines of 'I'll spare this city, so die for me next time'?"

  "I take it you won't die?"

  "Nope."

  Vera sighed. "Then I'll kill you myself."

  "Shogai, Kiara. The rest of the city is clear. You can go."

  "Have you checked underground?" Kiara said, "people could be there."

  Wright hesitated for a moment, but shook his head.

  "I haven't checked, no. Well, we have to save everyone. I'll keep her busy. Go now!"

  Vera clashes with Wright, who countered with a blow that sent her flying backwards. How did he hit someone so fast? Shogai wasn't paying attention, he grabbed Kiara's arm and led her underground.

  It was very humid down there, especially when the two made it to the group of remaining citizens. They were dead silent, and a couple of teens were standing in front of their families, facing the doors that the Kiara and Shogai came through. Kiara felt horrible. They probably thought Deviants were coming down those stairs to finish them off. Upon seeing humans, they paused in confusion.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The crowd muttered a bit, mentioning the King's guards and that they were there to save them, but then another bang was heard upstairs.

  "The fighting isn't over." Kiara announced with confidence. "Wait here until we say so."

  The teens sat beside their parents, and Shogai inspected the damage. A few people had broken bones, but there were no other casualties. He cleared his throat.

  "Anyone who can stand, help those who can't. We may have to make a speedy escape."

  Kiara watched everyone listening to him, and thought about how far they'd both grown. Shogai sympathised with people now, even strangers, instead of assuming the worst. As for herself, she used to be a criminal. To be wearing a badge provided by the King himself, it was an honour she didn’t deserve.

  "Excuse me, miss." A small girl came up to Kiara. "Why was an Aberrant fighting another Aberrant?"

  Kiara was confused. "What do you mean?"

  The girl pointed at her eyes and then upwards, at the surface. "Mommy says I have good eyes, I can see even when something is in the way."

  It took Kiara a moment to get what the little girl was saying.

  "You can see through walls? That's a very special power."

  The girl nodded enthusiastically, happy that someone was complimenting her. Kiara then referred to her first question.

  "What did you mean by an Aberrant fighting an Aberrant?"

  "It looks like a grey woman Aberrant is fighting a grey man Aberrant. Is one of them our friend?"

  Kiara almost laughed aloud when she realised the mistake.

  "Ohhh Wright. Don't worry, he's not an Aberrant, he's our friend."

  "Why is he grey?"

  "I…-come to think of it, I don't know. Let's ask him together after he wins."

  "I think he's won."

  "Hmm?"

  "There's no more punching. I think they're talking now. The girl one looks hurt."

  Shogai came over once he heard that part.

  "Let’s go and take a look then. What's your name?"

  "Holly"

  "Holly, please, can you wait here while Miss and I check if the coast is clear? If I clap my hands twice, that means it's safe. Bring everyone upstairs. Can you do that for me?"

  Holly furiously nodded again, telling Shogai he could trust her. She ran to her parents to tell them that the royal guards were asking for her help, which seemed to make them proud.

  "Alright, Kiara, let's go."

  They knew that Wright and Vera were talking, not fighting. They also knew that Wright was winning. Was he trying to get information out of her?

  As they cautiously made their way up, they saw the scene. Vera was standing, and missing an arm. Her back was to Kiara and Shogai, and she was facing Wright, who seemed unscathed.

  Wright had a serious, almost angry, expression on his face. He had history with Vera, they knew that, but did she do something that bad? That personal?

  Kiara's eyes glanced over to Vera, and obviously couldn't see her expression. But then she realised; that meant Vera hadn't seen her either.

  Was Wright distracting her? In that case, he must have been waiting for Kiara and Shogai to come and back him up.

  And in that case…

  "Shogai, she wants you dead. Stay hidden."

  "Kiara, what are you planning?"

  "She's fast. But she's not the only one."

  Kiara slowed down time, slower than she ever had before. It hardly looked like Shogai was blinking. The whole world had become a giant statue. And she ran through it.

  Wright's eyes had somewhat widened, but Vera hadn't seen her. One good punch to the head could be the opening Wright needed to finish her off. Just one good punch.

  Kiara raised her fist and sent it straight at Vera. She didn’t even have the time to blink before Vera caught it.

  What? Her back was turned. And Kiara didn't even see her move. But now, all of a sudden, Vera was casually holding Kiara off the floor by the arm. She turned to look her in the eye, and then back at Wright.

  Kiara felt like her arm was about to tear off. She tried to kick Vera, but her legs didn't move. She was trapped. Was Vera really that much faster than her?

  "Vera. Let her go." Wright seemed even more furious now, and Kiara cursed herself for being so stupid. This wasn't some random bystander that she could rob before being seen. This was a Deviant Prime. Rank 4 at that. One of the strongest of those creatures. And she didn’t let her go.

  "I'll release her if you agree to die," Vera said. "Do you agree to my terms?"

  Kiara tried to shake her head, but it wouldn't move. She tried to say no, but her jaw wouldn't open. Being slow, it felt horrible. She was powerless. She'd just have to hope Wright would refuse.

  "Okay. I agree."

  Kiara and Vera both had the same amount of confusion. No way. This was a bluff or something.

  "Wright, what the hell are you doing?" Shogai revealed himself, but Vera hardly seemed to care. She actually smiled. Why worry about Shogai when Inner Rank 5 was willing to sacrifice himself?

  "May I choose my means of suicide?" Wright asked, to which Vera nodded.

  "Your decision. And I swear I'll let her go if you die. In fact, I'll let them both go. This will more than make up for Sekara. Muryoko will be most pleased."

  "Wright…" Shogai could hardly comprehend what was happening, and Kiara felt the same way, but Wright just told him to "make sure you and Kiara get out alive."

  "Bye you two. I've always wanted to go out with a bang."

  And just like that, he exploded.

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