Ikku came to after what felt like an eternity, his eyelids heavy and his head throbbing dully. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed in a neatly kept room. The sheets smelled faintly of fresh linen, but one detail quickly stole his attention, iron bars.
He pushed himself up slowly, disoriented. Looks like I lost… he thought.
— "Finally awake, huh?" came a familiar voice.
Missak was standing just outside the cell, hands tucked in his pockets. Ikku got to his feet as well, stepping closer to the bars.
— "So… I lost, didn't I?"— "Yep. But honestly… that was a great fight. Could've gone either way."— "Don't sugarcoat it," another voice cut in.
Babar stepped into view with a sly grin.
— "Don't listen to him, Ikku. Don't make excuses. If you want to win next time… get stronger."— "Says the guy who wouldn't have lasted two minutes," Missak shot back, amused.— "Says the guy who got knocked out in a single hit," Babar countered with a smirk.— "Hah! True… but did you see the punch he landed on me? You think you could've taken that?"— "…Honestly? No," Babar admitted, bursting into laughter.
The two of them laughed so hard they nearly toppled over. Ikku just stood there, puzzled. From the moment they'd met, even when they'd caught him out, even during the fight he hadn't felt a shred of hostility from them. His wounds had been treated while he was unconscious, and despite the cell, he didn't feel like a prisoner at all.
— "So… I guess I need to keep my end of the bargain, right?"— "Exactly," Missak replied, catching his breath. "I knew you'd stick to your word."— "Alright. What do you want to know?"— "First off… are you really from Isru?"— "Yeah. More specifically, from Kul-Elna. I'm part of Nexus."— "Nexus? That super-soldier organization? Why would Nexus be here in Saymar?"— "We were hired by Mekira to put you out of commission."— "That bastard Riku… so he was in on our next move?"— "He was."— "How many Nexus members were sent?"— "Five, including me."— "And where are they now?"— "No idea. We split up to gather intel before the attack. But I'm not giving you anything on my friends."— "That's fine. That's all I needed."
Missak pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the cell door.
— "Come on, let's go for a walk."— "You sure? I mean… what if I try to escape and spill your secrets? You're not even tying me up."— "If that's what you want to do, we won't stop you. Either way, after this walk, you're free to go wherever you want."
Ikku followed him out. They crossed the same big hall as before still full of people, still buzzing with noise.
— "So you're Ikku, huh?" a deep voice called out.
A giant of a man stepped forward. He must've been well over six and a half feet tall, with a round face, long hair tied in a ponytail, and a few days' worth of beard. Despite his imposing frame, Ikku felt the same warmth radiating from him as from Missak and Babar.
— "This is Nenew," Missak explained. "There's ten of us looking after the LVD district. Nenew's the head of the combat division."— "Combat division?" Ikku echoed.— "Yeah… or in simpler terms, I'm the slab of meat they send in first to get chewed up," Nenew said with a grin.— "With your size, you're more like a bison," Babar teased.— "Compared to a twig like you? I could knock you out just by sneezing."— "With your breath, you could wipe out all of Mekira."— "Oh, so someone's itching for a fight?"— "Anytime, fatso."
The two lunged at each other, wrestling on the ground to the cheers of an impromptu crowd. Ikku couldn't help but crack a smile.
— "Come on, Ikku," Missak said.
They left the building and climbed into a car. A short drive later, they stopped in front of a small house filled with elderly people.
— "Hey, everyone!" Missak greeted warmly.— "Oh, Missak, it's you! Where are the others?" an old woman asked.— "They're all at the base. How are you all feeling?"— "Much better since you took care of that factory… but they'll probably fix it, and we'll be forced to leave."— "Not while we're here. You won't have to move anywhere."— "Haha… we know we can count on you. But be careful, my boy."— "We will, I promise. Take care of yourselves."
On the way back, Ikku spotted several damaged factories and buildings.
— "What happened to those?"— "Because of those factories and their waste, a lot of people got sick. So… we took matters into our own hands. All ten of us in the LVD lost our parents. We stick together, and we'll protect Saymar from any invader."
Ikku didn't answer. His gaze fell to the floor. He understood now, these people weren't villains. He was the one in the wrong.
Back at the base, Missak said:— "You're free to go anywhere you want. But at least stay and finish a meal with us."— "You're right… and I'm sorry. You're the ones in the right here."— "Thanks for admitting it. I knew you were a good person."
— "You're finally back!" a voice called from across the room.
It was Momo.
— "Momo… you're an incredible fighter," Ikku said.— "Right back at you," Momo replied, removing his cap to reveal a forehead wrapped in bandages.— "I could say the same. I think I've got a huge lump on my head," Ikku joked.— "You did sleep for a long time," Missak said.— "Really? How long?"— "About two days," Momo replied.— "Wow… guess that bat swing was something else!" Ikku laughed.
The three of them laughed until the sound died suddenly. Missak's eyes lifted toward the doorway.
A shadow stood there.
— "Who's that? Where'd you come from?" Missak demanded.