Chaos Cycle: The Eye of Genesis

"Roy?"

The suited man did not answer, but Inari was almost sure it was none other than Leroy. "Hey?" she called again, but got no reply either. Instead, the male pulled her chains roughly enough that she almost fell to the floor. Was she mistaken? Did in her dilemma she was seeing things?

"Wait for a second," a voice called from behind, and she lifted her head to find it was the same man who went away a moment ago. It appeared he found something wrong in the situation as well.

"What's the matter?" the suited man asked in a condescending voice, rather than how friendly he was before.

"Why are you going in that direction?" the man asked. "We are supposed to take them to the third lounge."

"Hmm," the ones with the dogs said. "You should have just left for the surveillance room."

As his voice faded, he lurched at the newcomer, bringing the chain holding Inari in a proficient way to strangle the newcomer wrestling him on the ground. Inari felt a sharp pull and fell over them—and moreover, it was extremely straining to her neck, but the man kept on strangling the other man, uncaring if it hurt him or Inari.

Inari yelped in pain, but the man kept on strangling as the other man kept on struggling on the ground. After a few moments, the strangling finally stopped as the man laid dead on the ground. The one that was strangling the dead guy led out a breath through the gas mask, before eyeing her.

Inari breathed freely a couple of times and exchanged glances with the dead man and the one that killed him. "Roy?"

"Yeah," Leroy said and pulled his mask free.

His face was not in a good condition; still, it got better with his mana being freed. One of his arms was still unusable, but he managed to keep himself hidden for an hour in this heavily guarded ship. Though that may change after this little stunt.

Leroy covered his face again and stood up. "We don't have time," he said, gesturing towards the corner where the surveillance cameras were hidden. Without considering anything else, he broke the cuffs on Inari's leg and arms. "It's a little difficult for the neck," he said. "If I try to tear it like other cuffs, it will blast, killing us both."

Inari sucked a dry breath and found other half-blooded devarians were looking at them with stultified expressions. Even among half-blooded people, the two of them were quite famous. Well, it was mostly because of their parents, that is.

"How do you know all this?" she could not help but ask, standing up.

"I asked the original owner of this suit," Leroy said and started to tear the cuffs off others.

"Can you help me unseal my mana?" she asked, biting her lip.

Leroy looked at her, at her state and nodded. "Let's get away from here first," he said, and showed a path where he was taking them first. "This way."

Without considering if others were following or not, Leroy crept in that direction. Leroy's speed was quite fast even though he was injured, fast enough that the others will have problems keeping up.

Inari barely managed with the throbbing pain all over her body. Something struck her head as she looked around. "Why was no one following us?" she asked, finding it odd. Since Leroy's stunts were captured on the camera, they should already be ready to intercept them, but why was there nobody?

"The people here," Leroy said with gasping. "They are not normal. I think their minds were corrupted. Or how do you think I will get away so easily?" If the one that caught him did not think he was her long-lost brother, and he take advantage of that like that, his condition would have been no better. 

"Corrupted?"

"Yes," Leroy said slowly. "I cannot help but think the place we were in is close to where the chained one is imprisoned."

Inari sucked an icy breath. "How do you know that?"

"I just know." He paused for a second, still in the run. "I can be wrong, and this place could be someplace else with the same effect as the corruption. Either way, it's bad for us."

Inari agreed. Their minds could break the longer they stay in contact with such foul air.

They found themselves in the middle of sideways, and Leroy looked at it once before leading them carefully. Leroy was through with his questioning and asked about everything related he could before killing the man from whom he got the suit.

He lifted his mask again. "There is no surveillance in here, and we will be safe here for some time," he said, leading them even down. Until they reached the storage rooms. He covered half a dozen of them before choosing one numbered, A105. Then he brought out a key from his pocket to unlock the heavy metal door.

"Get inside," he said.

Nobody complained, and why would they? After everyone got in, Leroy locked the door, before signing in relief and laying on the ground, leaning against the door.

The others were no better, as most of them laid on the ground, heaving their chest heavily.

After a couple of minutes, Inari winced at her cousin. After considering her words for a second, she said, "Thank you." If it were anyplace else, Leroy would only get curse from her.

Leroy winced at her words, eyeing her straight. Was he surprise hearing it from her or just thinks he doesn't deserve it? Perhaps both. "I will leave by myself soon enough," he said with some difficulty.

"Why?" Inari demanded. He had accomplished so much in just an hour or so, yet he was still headstrong about leaving their numbers. "If you leave, why did you free us in the first place?"

"I owe it to Ellora," Leroy said.

"And your job is done here." Inari could not help but fume.

Leroy did not answer.

"What about them?" Inari asked again, showing the others on the ground, panting like defeated dogs. He owes her sister, but he owes nothing to these lots. And them being devarians had little to do with it. There might not be another individual who hates the davarians more than Leroy. half-blood or full, he hated them all with passion. 

The Leroy of now seemed to have changed a lot since the last time she had seen him. He did not have that, only hate in his eyes, and looked more . . . focus? 

Leroy gave them a look. "I did not specifically look for them," he said. "I came across them just so easily after I fled. I thought making numbers would help me in some ways."

"And you did not think so now?"

Leroy stared at her for a while and stood up. "I am better alone," he said, coming closer. He put off his suit slowly before throwing it towards her. "This suit could help in some form of resistance in the corrupt air."

Inari found herself glaring at Leroy. "I don't want your suit," she said irrationally. She knew she was being irrational, but she could not help it.

"Still angry at everything," Leroy sighed, looking at her. "I don't care about you keep it or not. Perhaps you like showing your skin. Just take a look at yourself. You are no better than naked."

Inari glared at him, eyes blazing with fury. It appeared his words never reached her ears.

"Its already taking effect," Leroy muttered and stooped near her with a hollow face, as if it meant nothing to him if she took it or not. 

Inari always hated this face. Hated that she could not make it and show she cares for nothing in the world like him. 

"I am not Ellora," he said and laid his good arm on her chest to slowly run his mana to free her from the seal. "And never will be."

"But you can be," Inari said, gritting her teeth. She was keeping herself sane from throwing away his arm that was helping her.

A few cracks appeared on her channelling system as she felt a little vigour of her mana releasing from the crack. Leroy put more pressure on those cracks to break away everything.

"Keep the suit," he said. "You already have anger issues. The corrupt air is a natural bane for you. Who knows what your irrational mind would do getting high on the corrupt air?"

Leroy stood up and did not help the others in freeing their mana, but went to check out what was stored here.

"What are you doing?" she said, breathing in and out to release her anger.

"Looking for a weapon," Leroy answered, not looking back. He found a lot of useless stuff here. Broken levers, heavy chains, cables, strings, scrap, splinters, a lot of stuff. "Forgot to mention, there are trackers in your collars. They will find us soon enough. So better prepare for them in the meantime."

Inari cursed and got near the others to help them unseal their mana. Couldn't this bastard say that earlier? She felt drunk on her mana after being sealed away from it for hours. Though it was problematic, she managed to free one within a minute. Telling that boy to help another, she moved to another one. 

She heard clanging on metals as Leroy was still in his search of a weapon that he could use better. Perhaps she would have looked for one too, as she could not leave her safety to others.

But by the time she freed the third of the youth, she heard thumping on the door.

They have finally come.