He was dragged out of the vehicle, hands and feet still bound. His body was dragged along the floor.
They came to a doorway. The soldier pulled off his blindfold, and he squinted at the sudden rays of light entering his eyes.
"Home... Sweet... Home."
"Silence," the soldier commanded, then opened the door.
The walls were lined with thick metal plates. There were no windows. The first room was large, and only three people were present. Two guards stood on opposite walls, while a man in his early twenties sat behind a curved, raised counter.
His snow-white hair glowed as light from electric bulbs reflected off it. His eyes were closed. Despite his straightened posture, it was evident he was asleep.
The soldier walked closer, still dragging the bound man. He looked to the guards, turning away from his gaze.
He took a deep breath, then saluted.
"Good afternoon, sir!"
The man's frost-blue eyes opened.
"Um... Yes, good night to you as well."
He rubbed his eyes, then noticed the bound man.
"For your information, I was not asleep, simply recollecting my thoughts. Not like I expect you to understand."
"No one... can possibly... understand what... goes through... your mind." The bound man gave a dry chuckle at the end.
"Be quiet," the soldier commanded, despite thinking the same.
"Who is this?" The young man's face twisted into a frown.
"His name is Jarek. He's an escapee, dating twelve years back. The resident general in Dorvel wants him properly secured."
So Acrantha, huh? the young man thought to himself.
Then he looked at Jarek, noticing his eye.
"Are you certain that he's to be detained here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, then."
He pushed a button beside his desk and spoke close to it.
"We are having a new resident. I need someone to escort him."
The door beside the counter opened shortly after. Another guard came through and pulled Jarek in.
Beyond the door was a hallway that led to a large section of the building. The center of it was a star-shaped walkway connected to spiraling walkways along the walls. Glass doors embedded with metal bars lined them. They led far up and even farther down.
He could feel the gaze of a thousand eyes staring at him from behind their various doors.
The guard dragged him to a lower door and pushed him into the cell. He left without a word.
Jarek staggered to his feet, finding his way to a sink. He gulped down water from the tap, letting out a sigh of relief after having his fill.
"The guy at the front is new," he said to himself, settling onto the bed.
The room was small. The only other thing in it was a toilet.
"The bed is thinner than I remember."
I'll be here for a while. Better get comfortable, he thought to himself, stretching as he lay on the bed.
---
"Around two weeks ago, there was an incident concerning Glavog Jungle. As of now, it's undergoing restoration.
"It has come to our knowledge that the incident involved an Azryx as well as a Soiran."
Murmurs broke out between the people clad in white coats.
"We currently don't know what happened to the Azryx, but we have the Soiran's body. It is being preserved as best as possible.
"For now, we have been able to determine a few things.
"Firstly, the Soiran's anatomy was similar to a Lyth's but... better. Less erratic.
"Secondly, we have reason to believe that there will be Soirans quite similar to the other Haima.
"Thirdly, the Azryx involved came here seeking him. The reason why is still under speculation.
"That is all. Return to your various activities."
The brown-haired woman dismissed them. Her purple-streaked lab coat was drowned out by the sea of white as she headed for an inner room.
"Welcome back, Ms. Wrenbil," a girl with flowing silver hair greeted her when she entered.
"Zaleab, the majority of the others don't seem to know much either. Did you find anything else so far?" Wrenbil sat by a table facing her.
"Not exactly. There is probably more information, but we don't have clearance. The only thing I have is the story according to 'history.'"
"And what does it say?"
"Similar to the usual stories." Zaleab took a seat. "The exact date wasn't stated, but it was a long time ago, even before the Declaration. Some time after the Haima started appearing, that was when the first Soirans were encountered. They were far faster and stronger than a human, and also had Haima traits as well.
"They were powerful but appeared docile. Their very presence shifted the apparent crumbling power balance that existed within the nations back then, when you could have a hundred, as large, maybe more than Solax is now.
"During the time of their appearance, resource harvesting was still in high demand, with nations all collecting Haima. It wouldn't take much for wars to break out.
"So a woman from Kriejer requested help from the Soirans. Kriejer, which was a small country, could not hold its own if that happened.
"The Soirans agreed and fought in the Fifth World War. With their assistance, the majority of the opposing countries fell. It was easy. Thorough.
"The nations allying with Kriejer eventually turned against them in fear, and it came through. Kriejer dominated more than half the world, but it wasn't enough. At least not for the Soirans.
"They wanted more. All this time they spent laying waste, it was simply to help Kriejer, but none of the spoils was theirs. Perhaps the people of Kriejer knew. Eventually, even they feared what the Soirans would do.
"So they had prepared in secret, hoping the worst would not happen.
"At this time, the planet had already begun shifting. Seas drying up, mountains flattening, organisms changing.
"No one knew why. No one cared enough to find out.
"Eventually, the Soirans struck back. The now-powerful Kriejer fell, but not without a fight. Somehow, they managed to get the Soirans in one place.
"They had planned to use a forbidden weapon, something humanity agreed to no longer recreate: a nuclear warhead.
"It didn't work. It was at this time they arrived—the Azryx. The warhead was an aerial assault. With the Azryx arriving, falling from the sky, one of them hit it.
"However, it is also believed that the Azryx landing all over the world also landed where the Soirans were. However, this isn't certain. The amount of bodies found was nowhere near the amount of Soirans that should have been there.
"That was the last recorded Soiran sighting.
"These days, some parents tell their children a more sanitized version. Despite it being history, it's also a good way to say that someone you never expected can stab you in the back."
"And there's the fact that a random solution can be another problem," Wrenbil interjected. "The Azryx arrival has done more harm than good, if you ask me."
"I agree," Zaleab replied, then continued. "What remained of Kriejer eventually became Solax, under the leadership of Nithwarc George, the founder.
"Then the Declaration, then people started dying, the seven continents turning to four, the Wake, then there's that incident with the 'Kindgom' by the mountains. Whatever is in-between, nothing particularly useful."
"Nothing..." Wrenbil sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Where's the body now?"
"After we got to the capital, we handed it over to the head scientist. They haven't given us any more information."
"Alright, then. They don't want us knowing about the Soirans, we leave it at that."
She stood up.
"We'll head back to the valley tomorrow. We still have that keystone to deal with."
"Yes, ma'am."