May 20, 1912 AZ 

Two days had passed since he had halted the rebellion. As Maxillio observed the ghetto, he thought back to Jose's words. He watched as the Velwyrms trudged across the fragmented cobblestones. He saw some children lying in the streets. They raised cupped hands towards passerby, begging them for any food. And yet, no one stopped. Hardly anyone even looked at the children. Maxillio shook his head. The Velwyrms were willing to leave their own children to fend for themselves. They were no better than he had thought. How could his friend say that they were human just like the people of Aluminos? 

He leapt from his roof into the one across the street. He sailed over the barbed fend and landed upon a roof within the ghetto. His feet clattered against the terracotta tiles. Each tile was marked with cracks and holes. As he walked, some tiles slipped off and tumbled down the sloping roof into the street below. He could hear footsteps leap out of the way. And then, those same footsteps returned to a slow, trudging pace once again. 

He observed the Velwyrms in the buildings. Some were hanging ragged cloths onto lines strung between suites. Others played somber little tunes upon handheld instruments. He could see a man blowing into a flute so dirty, it held no luster. He saw another man blow into a harmonica, which reverberated throughout the ghetto. He saw a woman smack a drum with feeble hands. 

In the streets below, he could see a group of six Velwyrm children. They passed a ball between them, kicking it whenever it drew near. None of the children laughed. None even smiled. They simply passed the ball from one person to the next. They were little different from baby monkeys passing an interesting stone they'd found from one playmate to another. Having seen enough, Maxillio turned away from the edge of the roof. He took the first steps towards the edge of the ghetto. His observations yielded no results that proved his friends words. Jose was simply mistaken. 

But then, he stopped. He heard one child kick the ball only for it to clang against the metal railings of a balcony. He heard another child cry out "what'd you do that for? Now it's stuck up there!" 

"That wasn't my fault!" 

"Was too!" 

"No it wasn't!" 

Maxillio returned to the edge of the ball atop a balcony. He looked down at the children below. They were all looking at the ball, and then at each other. One boy, a pale scrawny thing caked in dirt said "if you didn't knock it up there, then who did? A ghost?" 

"You're the one who kicked it right at my face!" exclaimed another, even smaller child. "I panicked and threw my arms up! The ball just bounced off my arm!" 

"Hey!" interjected another boy. "Stop your arguing! Let's think of some way to get it down." 

"How?" demanded a fourth child. "I don't think anyone in this building would be willing to get it for us!" 

And then, the six began to bicker once more. As he watched them, Maxillio found himself recalling days long since gone. He was seven then, nudging a ball before him as he strolled through the streets of Lumagris. His uncle walked beside him. His uncle, Eduardo Luminar Martel, was a tall man with greying hair, craggy face, and a short, trim beard. And yet, the man's green eyes were filled with kindness and a sparkle of playfulness. Eduardo look at him and said "Max, why don't you carry that ball? If you keep kicking it, you might lose it." 

"I won't uncle!" he replied. 

But then, as he nudged the ball along, a dog leapt out of an alleyway. Startled, he kicked the bottom of the ball with the edge of his toes much harder than he had intended. The ball flew away from the force of the kick, striking a nearby tram. The ball bounced off the tram and landed in a nearby tree. As the dog scampered away, Maxillio tried to climb the tree but couldn't. He grabbed the bark and tried to squirm up it with all his might. However, the bark of the tree was too smooth and slippery and he couldn't get more than a storey off the ground. 

Disappointed, he hung his head and trudged forward. But then, he heard bouncing noises behind him. He turned and saw his ball bounce towards him. At first, he was confused. But then, he saw his uncle leapt off the tree branch and land before him. Maxillio smiled and said "thank you uncle!" 

"This is exactly what I meant," said his uncle. "Try to be more careful next time!" 

"I will," said Maxillio. And then, he said "hey uncle, how did you get up the tree? I couldn't climb up it at all." 

"It's easy for a daemon like me," Eduardo replied. "If you'd like, I can teach you some basic spiromantic techniques." 

"Really? Awesome!" Maxillio exclaimed. 

As the image of his uncle faded to be replaced by the ghetto, Maxillio turned his attention to the balcony. And then, he leapt off the edge of the roof and landed upon the balcony. He picked up the ball and dropped it down below. The children scampered to retrieve the ball, and then, they look up at him. They waved at him and said "thank you!" 

Their sunken eyes glowed for just a moment. When looking at them, Maxillio was reminded of himself on the day he kicked a ball into a tree. As the children hurried away, he recalled Jose's words once more. Perhaps there was some validity to his friend's declaration. 

May 22, 1912 AZ 

Two more days passed as Maxillio resumed his position guarding the ghetto. Over those days, he observed the Velwyrms with greater care, trying to see who they really were. He observed the families through the broken windows of their apartment buildings. They enjoyed meager meals around makeshift tables, much how he used to dine with his parents and his uncle. He watched children playing in the streets. They were much like he used to be, vibrant and full of energy, enjoying what world they lived in. 

He saw a long line of Velwyrms heading towards the centre of the ghetto. He leapt form rooftop to rooftop, following them out of curiosity. Where could they be going? he wondered. And then, he saw a large crowd of people gathered in the little square at the ghetto's heart. There were dozens of men, women, and children. They stood solemnly over the battered tiles of the puny square. In the centre of the square was a spire of metal with the black coat of the Velwyrm he had fought days earlier. 

He listened to whispers of prayer for the soul of the man. He could see streams of tears running down the faces of those around the spire. He could see children huddling around their parents, whom gently embraced them as they quietly sobbed. Maxillio leapt away from the square and turned his attention to the paths that lay between the buildings. 

This time, he could even see some passerby stopping beside the emaciated children in the streets. Five children crowded around a man who gave them pieces of bread. However, there was a sixth children who lay utterly still on the ground. The man knelt beside the still child and checked for signs of life. The other children crowded around the man, anxiously waiting. And then, the man turned around and said "he's still fine, just exhausted. We'll wait until he wakes up before giving him some bread." 

Maxillio recalled his thoughts two days prior. He recalled the sight of adults simply walking past the children, not a single one stopping to offer aid. Perhaps, back then, they didn't have any food to share. And then, Maxillio wondered where the Velwyrms received their food from. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop as he sought the source of their nourishment. And then, he sensed two Velwyrms hidden inside a building. In his mind's eye, he could see two grey figures, one of whom passed packages to the other. Maxillio leapt onto the ground beside the building and rested his back against the wall. He listened to the voices inside. 

"How's the delivery this time?" said a woman. 

"Bad," the man replied. "We were only able to obtain half of what we did last time. Even though the Moles are still supplying us, they have to avoid detection you know. They can only smuggle so much food to us at once before the damned Petroknights grow suspicious." 

The woman sighed. And then, she said "even if supplies were still as good as they once were, we cannot survive here for every much longer. We must leave this place as soon as we can." 

"We are already doing so," the man replied. "We are using the Catacombs under here to smuggle folks out a bit at a time. We're transporting them towards the coast as we speak. And then, it's off across the sea to the city of Soporito!" 

"Isn't the entire country of Soporito under attack by Aluminos?" 

"Yes, but they are holding steadfast against he onslaught. Soporito is not a safe Haven. However, it will do until we can transport everyone to Cobreece." 

"Our motherland huh? I've heard stories about it when I was a youngling. What's it like?" 

"It's a wonderful place with towering buildings, palm trees dotting the streets, and markets all around. There's endless aromas of spices in the air, gentle breezes laced with sea salt, and wonderful food that's abundantly found. You'll see soon when we take you out of the ghetto." 

"How are we going to evacuate the last few people? If we evacuate everyone, the Petroknights will grow suspicious that the ghetto is suddenly empty. They might be suspicious of us now as we speak." 

"Rest assured ma'am, we shall protect you no matter what!" Maxillio sensed the man place a fist over his heart. The man's voice was steady and solemn as he gave his vow. "Soon, you will be free of this accursed foxhole. That, I promise you!" 

Maxillio recalled the day he had uttered his own vows as a Petroknight. He sensed the man bow once more and depart from the woman's company. Perhaps we're not so different after all Maxillio thought. Even so, he couldn't allow the Velwyrms to simply leave the ghetto. He would uphold the task that Emperor Inozio had given him. 

Maxillio leapt back onto the roof and expanded his soul field as far as it would go. He sensed the man open the hatch door of what appeared to lead into a cellar. However, Maxillio could sense that it led to no cellar. Instead, the hatch led down into a labyrinth of corridors, lined with brick and lit by lights that hung from the roof. It reminded him of a series of mineshafts. 

Inside the tunnel, he could sense the man speak to a small individual. This individual was a head shorter than the man and was clad in a billowing, hooded cloak. For some reason, the individual's presence felt familiar, as though he had seen him somewhere before. Maxillio leapt down into the streets again. As he landed, another Velwyrm entered the confines of his soul field. This time, it was a woman clad in an attire shaped like a Petroknight's uniform. Maxillio's heart sank. There were traitors in their midst. 

He waited for the woman to reunite with the two men. They spoke so softly, he could not hear what they were saying. However, he could not sense anyone else within the corridors. Tackling three individuals by himself would be difficult. Briefly, he wondered if he should call for backup. However, he decided against the idea. 

He knew that the Velwyrms had daemons in their ranks and he didn't know if these individuals were. If they are daemons, then they would sense the oncoming soldiers and grow suspicious, perhaps mountain a counterattack inside the corridors. Fighting them down there would be risky. The Velwyrms knew the tunnels whilst the Petroknights would not. Furthermore, using large-scale attacks to destroy the corridors would risk harming the rest of Lumagris. 

No, he had to tackle the three Velwyrms himself. It would be difficult, but he had the element of surprise. The Velwyrms were already used to his presence. Thus, they wouldn't expect him to suddenly attack. Now the question was how he should attack. Maxillio observed the tunnels once more, noting their width The tunnels were not very wide, barely wide enough for four people to walk through side by side. The roof was roughly the height one and a half men with lights hanging down from it that made it seem even lower. That gave him a place. 

Slowly, he leaked his spirna out of his skin. He willed his spirna to land on the cobblestones and sink into the ground. His spirna obeyed, dropping onto the ground and then seeping through it like a ghostly, invisible blob of water. He willed his spirna into long lines over the heads of the Velwyrms. And then, he used embrittlement. He made the edges of the lines brittle and the lines themselves soft. And then, he was ready. 

He stomped his feet. His awakening sent the force of the blow right to the lines. The lines broke free. They fell from the roof like strings of spaghetti, landing upon the heads of the Velwyrms. They looked up, surprised, and tried to leap out of the way. That was when Maxillio struck the nearest building with his blade. The force travelled through the ground towards one of the lines. The man who had spoken with the woman bumped his head against the line just as the force of Maxillio's attack travelled through it. 

The man flew forward from the force of the blow and collapsed, unconscious on the ground. The other two darted left right, forward and backward, twirling and weaving between the strands of softened stone. And then, they escaped the last strands of stone. However, Maxillio moulded his spirna into a rectangle beneath his feed. He softened the stone within the rectangle and made its edges brittle. And then, he stomped one foot onto the ground and it collapsed. 

The stone tumbled into the tunnel as though it were a mat, splaying across the floor of the tunnel. As he fell from the ground and into the tunnel, he saw the two figures running away. He landed on the floor of the tunnel and tried to pursue them, but overwhelming exhaustion filled him. The craving of sleep filled his entire body and his eyes struggle to remain open. His body was sluggish, yet he felt his heart sink. He recognized this awakening. 

The retreating figures ran away. They had reached a bend in the tunnel. Just as they turned, Maxillio summoned the last of his strength and hurled his sword forward. The sword struck the ground just in front of the woman. She stopped, surprised. In that hundredth of a second, she momentarily released her awakening. That was all Maxillio needed. 

He leapt forward and grabbed the woman by the shoulder and wrenched her around to face him. The sight of her unmistakable face struck him like a blow, a blow more painful than anything he had experienced. It wasn't the blow that came from battle. It was the blow that came from a feeling of betrayal. He struggled to form words, yet he could say only one thing. "What do you think you're doing, Alanea?"