The night was busy. Le'Lau's inner city had become unusually packed after the unexpected raid by the rogue commander. Emergency evacuations flooded the population. Most were able to find shelter in the capital while the rest either escaped by boat or had already perished.
The air sizzled with warmth. The streets kept themselves packed even in the middle of the night. Nothing stayed hidden from the eyes of the anxious population.
However, Obai remained unseen.
His six-foot frame stood tall at the peak of the barracks roof, his arms crossed while his black hair flowed in the breeze and his gray eyes glowed with energy, scanning the city for his target.
Juno, Obai's captain, had broken off from the rest of the captains, somewhere out in the city alone. It was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Karada and maybe even find potential weaknesses to Ilka.
Energy circulated through his body, activating his Spirit Trait. After years of watching Nova manipulate her own energy, Obai instinctively copied her forms when he eventually unlocked his own.
His will sprang to life and crawled back to hide from the world, acting like a scared snail.
The gazes that constantly washed over him simply ignored Obai, as if he were invisible.
Because that's what Obai intended, so he made himself feel invisible.
Of course, that wasn't truly the case. He could still be spotted by someone if they focused hard enough — made easier by using higher amounts of energy. But who would stare at an empty rooftop for minutes on end at full intensity?
The colossal dark clouds rumbled, worsening the world's view. With only a minute passing from Juno's leave, he still managed to disappear before Obai could grab onto his tail.
Which was why Obai didn't necessarily look for Juno but was really attempting to scout out specific changes in energy.
Sweat dripped down his forehead as he closed his eyes and sensed the world around him. It wasn't impossible to pinpoint Juno's energy. He'd already demonstrated his Body Trait back on the ship, so Obai knew what to look for.
The difficulty stemmed from the amount of energy within Obai himself.
Back on the ship, he was surprised to find out that the captain had more energy than him, considering what Obai had gone through. Thankfully, there wasn't a large gap, but the captains easily contained the same raw energy as fifty men.
It only made him wonder how strong the commanders, or even Ilka, were.
Obai's eyes widened; the glow continued to pour out. He'd found his trail.
The air whispered warm words, and the people below busied themselves with their affairs as an invisible man in a dark, sleeveless uniform dashed across the city at ridiculous speed.
His hair flew back as he kept his head low, rocketing towards the hidden energy. Obai blocked out the world, solely focusing on the unique point, for if he looked away once, Juno would only escape further.
His steps fell in quick succession, making not a sound as he propelled himself uphill and around to the western side of the city.
One minute passed before he caught sight of the apathetic captain. Juno's long hair swayed as he made his way to a large square that held a stage near the center.
Obai's face twisted when he recognized the sight. Memories of his first day in the inner city flooded back to him. His eyes narrowed as he spied from above.
Juno carefully walked to the side of the stage that faced the palace and carefully looked around. There weren't many houses in the area, so not many people came by at this hour, but he didn't need to be so careful because Obai failed to spot when he disappeared.
Only a second had passed, and Juno had vanished from the spot from which he stood.
His eyes widened.
'Where the hell did he go?'
Obai lowered his legs as if preparing to jump off the roof to head over to the stage, but at that moment, two Kokoro guards passed by. He quickly backed off, not willing to risk them seeing through his Trait.
"I'm worried about the next fight," one of them spoke in a deep voice.
"I'm sure Fey knows what she's doing," a woman responded.
"You're... right. He's going to be stronger now, though."
"Merric sent her soldiers though. We'll be able to ignore those monsters of his..."
The conversation carried on as the guards continued their patrol. Obai couldn't listen, but he didn't care to. His focus back on Juno.
In the now quiet square, Obai snuck towards the stage.
The platform was made from white stone, carved into bricks to form its majestic sides. Stairs led upwards to the top of the platform off to the side of where Obai stood, the walls on either side holding decorative statues of small feylarras.
But nothing looked out of the ordinary.
'This is where he stood... how could he disappear?'
Obai glanced around, studying every detail. The petals of the stone flower, the atomic grains of stone that brushed off when brushing against the white bricks, the firmness of the ground on which he stood. He circled the platform, gazing off at the palace to ponder everything that he'd seen.
When nothing worked, he fell silent and tried searching for Juno's energy again, only to be overwhelmed by the anger being held by the people of Le'Lau.
So he repeated the search. Failing again. Then again.
Minutes passed before his eyes dimmed and his face fell. There was nothing. He'd found nothing.
Obai's head burned. The square was an open area. There was no alley to duck into. There was no secret hatch to climb into. Nothing that announced how Juno had disappeared. So where was he?
He lost his control as mocking voices rang inside his head. Some his own, some from others. Each insult that was imagined by him continuously stung, worse and worse.
"Aren't you cute, flailing around like a lost puppy. You think that I could be killed by someone as pathetic as you?" Ilka's voice chided.
Obai's own mind responded.
"I'm gonna kill you. This isn't a setback!"
Bolin chuckled.
"If I went all out, you wouldn't be here right now. The only reason you're alive is because of luck."
Obai grumbled as he kept searching. His feet stomped across the square, his presence trickling back into the world.
Lastly, he heard Nova's voice.
"You'll never fight at my side... because you are still too weak!"
Rage flew from his mouth as he hurled a fist towards the platform wall. His shout echoed across the square like thunder as energy welled up and surrounded his fist, surging it with anger and the will to destroy.
His knuckles made contact, and at that instant, the bricks exploded into a large cloud of dust. A loud boom sliced through the silence, and its shockwave spread the rubble across the square.
Seconds passed before the commotion settled and the nearby guards arrived. Bystanders who'd heard the shockwave gravitated themselves toward the scene cautiously.
But nothing was there.
Obai leaped across the roofs as he rushed back to the barracks. Frustration still clung to his reddened face as he conceded his failure. His revenge would have to be postponed even further.