It was the day Nala and Zaire were assigned to evolve.
Bright, Amelia, Messiah, Dirk, and Matt had evolved yesterday.
Well, each evolved, but there were mishaps.
Matt's left leg got chomped off.
His ability? Dash.
Irony, eh?
Amelia and Messiah's evolutions made one thing clearer about this concept of "evolution"—not all skills are combat assistors, and not all skills are of the "active" sort.
Messiah's skill was: Tough Skin.
Literally what the name suggests.
He has tough skin. The toughness is very meh, though.
Well, good enough if one considers the perpetual nature of the skill.
Amelia's skill? Well, she didn't divulge.
Such an amicable and warm-natured woman!
Nonetheless, she made it crystal clear that it wasn't combat-based.
*****
Zaire and Nala waited in the manor carpark with their new "teammates."
Both of them were men.
Their expressions were reasonably dull, their eyes dishearteningly vacant.
Zaire didn't know how to break the ice. After the Ari farewell, he felt lighter, a bit relieved. He felt that his current "relieved" greeting might come across as disrespectful toward the two men.
Welp, Nala nudged him.
"Dude, you said something about creating bonds?"
Zaire looked at her with a smirk.
"Really, huh?... Now, eh?... Well, watch this, then..."
Zaire assumed a meek expression and slouched his shoulders. Nala closed her eyes to keep from chuckling disrespectfully.
"Sir, I'm Zaire, and this is Nala. Warmest of mornings to you both. I really hope for a successful venture."
The two men smiled and acknowledged them.
Nala politely smiled and returned the courtesy.
Zaire and Nala shared a quick glance.
Okay, no more funny business.
After introductions, Zaire continued the conversation.
"So, uh... Hut and Sean, huh. Well, umm... I thought there were supposed to be five of us? Do you know the whereabouts of our last, umm... partner?"
Sean, who stood closer to Zaire, naturally carried the conversation.
"Well, I don't know... Jake, I think his name was. Poor soul. Attempted suicide the day you two came. That boy is devastated."
"...That's hard to hear."
"Yep. Sir Messiah really is a god in disguise, though. I mean, many of us had suicidal thoughts. Dark stuff, man. What's the use of surviving when there's no reason to? He brought us the answer. Great man. I can't fathom how I'll ever thank him for being the... savior. Messiah... haha..."
Hut interjected.
Sean nodded in agreement and continued,
"Aye. God bless that man."
Zaire looked at the two men who seemed to genuinely respect Messiah.
And you know what? Rightfully so.
Zaire smiled and nodded.
Nala fell into deep contemplation.
What Messiah is doing is wrong. But is it that wrong? Without his interference, many would have died.
Yes, he probably uses people for his personal gain, but at least he's giving them a reason to survive.
Zaire looked at Nala and silently muttered,
"The color gray is annoying."
Nala looked at him. Her gaze was prolonged. She finally muttered back,
"Yes. But I prefer a lighter shade over a darker one."
"What's light, and what's dark?"
"You think too much, Zaire. Mental violation is a very, very dark shade. Period."
"What if, in trying to remove that dark shade... we create death and destruction?"
"Everything's cool as long as our shade stays lighter."
"Mm... mm... mm. Tck."
"Stop thinking so much, Zaire. We'll see how it goes. How dark Messiah's shade really is."
"True that."
I'm thinking about making a decision now. I don't have to. Chill out, Zaire. Time will tell.
"Zaire, Nala, Sean, and... Hut. Hut, yes. Morning to you all, lovely people. Jake's a bit sick, so I'll join you guys today. Consider me a guide."
It was Bright.
Coming out of the manor in a thick maroon tracksuit, Bright carried a bright smile with him.
*****
A few miles off Brew Lane, opposite Teal City, stood an apartment complex.
Joonboy Enclave.
Large, beautiful—a scenic hotspot for residents.
Unfortunately, it was now a prime spot for evolution.
Outside Gate 2 of the complex, the SUV the group had driven in came to a stop.
Before getting out, Bright instructed,
"I think we should all stick together. But sticking together will only slow us down. Yesterday, we made the mistake of separating completely... and Matt paid the price."
"I say me and Sean split off. We'll stay close, but keep enough distance to not hamper each other's evolution."
"I fully agree, Hut. I'll be like the middleman or something. If problems arise, I'll connect the two groups... So, I'll first accompany you two—Zaire and Nala."
Having laid out the plan, Bright peered questioningly toward Zaire and Nala.
Zaire looked at Nala and nodded.
"Yeah, we're cool with that."
*****
Both groups of the squad were on the same block—the A-Block of the complex.
They were even on the same floor.
The parties were just on different corridors.
The trio occupied the east wing, while the duo took the west.
"I see a dude up ahead."
Bright pointed Zaire and Nala in a certain direction.
"Don't call it that... So, same strategy, right?"
Bright nodded mutely in response to Zaire's question.
"Lumina."
Bright shouted his skill.
The palms he projected toward the beast began to glow.
They glowed astonishingly bright.
And like a flashbang, it did its job.
The man-beast twitched painfully and screamed. It closed its eyes, blinded, and flailed its arms directionlessly—panicked.
Zaire took the chance to sneak up.
Crouched, he approached the beast at a rapid pace. Then he let loose a strong overhand.
BAM.
His right knuckle caved into the beast's head. But before it could fall, Zaire caught it.
I'm sorry.
Zaire dragged the limp beast to Nala.
"It's your 33rd, right?"
"Yep."
Squinting her eyes, she shot the beast.
Point blank.
It's hard.