May 29th, Saturday, night
The moon illuminated the couple in the quiet darkness of the room. Maureen rested her face against Koa as she gently traced the tips of her fingers along his back. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking at the sky through the window.
— It's going to rain hard tomorrow. I already found where the place is — he said, breaking the silence.
Maureen's hands immediately stopped their caresses and moved to his shoulders, holding them. The expression that had once been serene and satisfied now showed discomfort, which was soon voiced.
— …Are we really going to talk about this now?
His face turned toward hers. Despite the seriousness, it was possible to see he was relaxed.
— It's a different terrain than usual. Don't you think it's better to plan something?
— It's been a while since I've had you to myself. Let's enjoy it! You're strong, if they show up, we'll handle it.
— That's it, then!
A smile appeared on his face as he heard Maureen's words. He turned and kissed her, his hands resting on her face. She stretched her arms to embrace him, but before she could, he pushed her down onto the bed.
— Alright, we'll sort everything out tomorrow.
Koa positioned himself over her and the two embraced under the moonlight. The lit sky soon filled with heavy clouds, the drops gradually began to fall, until they turned into a heavy downpour.
May 30th, coal mines
Several piles of gravel, dirt, and coal were scattered throughout the mine. The torrential rain made visibility more difficult, but nothing that would stop Koa and Maureen from carrying out their mission.
— The coordinates point here — Koa stated, carefully inspecting the place.
Maureen tried to focus, but ended up bringing her hand to her nose.
— What… a strong smell…
— It's sulfur. This city was heavily exploited to obtain coal. This is the main extraction point.
— Huh!? Have you been studying the planet?
— A little. Anyway, enough of that, let's get this mission done.
Koa raised his hand and concentrated a good amount of energy. He aimed at a section of the ground and made the earth crack and churn, creating a deep opening.
— You really went all out, huh? Can't even see the bottom.
Maureen was crouched down, her hands resting on the edge of the hole.
— The rain is affecting visibility… Are you going to try activating it?
— Hey, hey… I'm going.
She stood up and looked at Koa, annoyed by the command. But soon she focused again. From her hands, a significant amount of lightning she had accumulated was released into the opening created by her partner.
— No reaction — she commented.
— I'll make another.
Working in coordination, Koa created the openings and Maureen struck them with lightning. They repeated the process multiple times, but nothing happened. All of it drained Maureen's energy, and soon she was on the ground, chest heaving.
— Koa… I can't… We… It's all full of holes already…
Koa's serious, calm gaze turned severe. A feeling of helplessness took over him and, in a burst of anger, he opened a large fissure in the ground. Startled, Maureen quickly got up and reprimanded him.
— Koa! Stop that! What if they find us?
— You're not finding anything with your Potentia…
— OF COURSE IT'S HARD FOR ME, I'M NOT ROSÁLIA! I CAN'T FEEL WHERE IT IS!
In frustration, Koa only glanced at Maureen from the corner of his eye. Usually, he kept his thoughts to himself, but that day irritation made him speak out.
— These missions seem so pointless… Do we really need all this just to destroy this place?
— Destroy? We're just opening the way for Ayami. She's going to take command and bring the inhabitants of Finalia here. You already know that's the plan! Our biggest obstacle is the other Potentia, and who knows, maybe they'll end up understanding us. And even Ayami told us to ignore them and focus on the core.
— Do you really think Ayami does things out of charity?
— But there's no charity! We have a deal. We help her, she helps us. Simple as that!
— Are you really that naive: Didn't you hear she destroyed an entire planet?
— Rumors, there's nothing that proves it.
— Itzel's investigations prove it. We're just gambling on not having our entire people wiped out.
The conversation made Maureen break into a cold sweat, and she looked at him seriously. She tried to hide her concern, but in the end her gaze drifted away, staring into nothing.
— But maybe she's changed… She even asked us not to go after the Potentia… Itzel must have negotiated — Maureen said, her lips trembling.
— She only asked that because Yesenia died on an unplanned mission. She just doesn't want more losses. Accept it, these earthlings you hang out with will all die.
Koa's harsh words felt like a stab to her. Eyes wide, she understood him, but tried to convince herself otherwise. For a moment she fell silent, while he kept throwing truths into her ears.
— And if they don't die, they'll be servants. They're just like the former inhabitants of Finalia, who pushed the planet to its limit. They kill, they destroy each other. Ayami already made it clear that to her this planet is outside normal operation, an anomaly. What do you think?
The rain kept pouring heavily, mixing with the tears that began to run down Maureen's face. She tried to turn her face so he wouldn't notice, but it was useless. Koa noticed and finished what he was saying:
— You already know all of this. You're smart. You just don't want to see it.
— Koa…
— Let's go. There's nothing else to do here today.
Silence followed the two throughout the entire return, and throughout the entire week, they didn't speak again.
June 4th, Friday, 3:08 PM
On that sunny Friday, the teachers had prepared a different activity for the first grade. With their backpacks full of snacks to share, the afternoon would be spent having a picnic and playing in the city center.
The movement was high as usual, it was a square where people went to walk and relax. With such a large group of children, more than one teacher was sent to supervise.
— That's it, kids! Have fun, but be careful and listen to the teachers, alright? — asked the teacher in charge.
— ALRIGHT! — the children agreed in unison.
It didn't take long for everyone to form their groups and start playing. Soccer, tag, volleyball, everyone had their favorite game. And playing a ball-throwing game were Hana and Matsui.
— THROW IT, HANA! — Matsui stood with her arms open.
— GET READY, MATSUI!
With a determined expression, arms stretched to the limit, body positioned. The ball flew from Hana's arms like a slingshot. The force was strong, but the lack of aim made the ball go far above her friend's head, who looked back, annoyed.
— Hana… That was too far…
— Oops, sorry…
Matsui ran after the ball, which bounced and rolled away. That's when the object was caught by a tall, mysterious man. The girl stopped suddenly, while he extended his hands, returning the toy.
— Yours?
Tall, with long black hair, Aiden was sitting in the square, taking a moment to relax. His friendly expression and kind smile made Matsui feel no fear.
— Yes! Thank you!
— Your friend threw it pretty hard.
— She's like that when she plays. But it's fine!
She took the ball in her hands and looked at the man, noticing a tattoo near his neck.
— You have a dragon drawing! That's so cool!
— Do you like dragons?
— Yes! I think they're cute!
Aiden let out a soft laugh at the girl's innocence, turned his face toward the lake, and said:
— Look over there in the water!
Extending his hand, Aiden began to emit energy. Small bubbles started to appear on the surface and began to take shape. Soon, a small water dragon appeared and approached the two.
— Wow, that's so cool! A little water dragon! — Matsui looked at the creature in awe.
— It's magic. Don't worry, it won't hurt you.
— I can do magic too!
— Oh really!? I want to see.
— Okay!
At first, Aiden had thought he would only see a simple trick, something common for a child. But what he witnessed was a glow forming in the girl's hand and taking the shape of a bouquet of flowers.
— For you! — she said, handing it over.
— Thank you!
— Bye, mister!
Soon the girl ran back toward her friends. Aiden waved goodbye and, as soon as she moved away, looked at the flowers with concern.
A child Potentia… I…
Minami's house, June 9th, Wednesday, 12:30 PM
On the eve of a long holiday weekend, the students left excited for not having two days of classes that week. Taking advantage of the fact there would be no tests or assignments anytime soon, Aino invited herself over to Minami's house.
The young girl's house was close to the school, and the two walked slowly to the small building. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, where the host opened the door, which led into a small kitchen.
— It's nice that you came for lunch! Mom's not here today, but we can manage to make something.
— Sorry for coming like this, I just wanted to set it up quickly.
— It's fine! We've got instant noodles — Minami said as she opened the cabinets. — But Aino, do you really want to do this without them?
— Yeah… I'm really behind, and Yukino scolded me a lot… I didn't want to train with them.
— I get it! It's kind of scary, right! Everyone knows how to use it except us.
Minami grabbed a small pot, filled it with water, and placed it on the small four-burner stove. Before she could grab the match, Aino stepped closer.
— Can I light the stove with my Potentia?
— Go for it!
With the tip of her finger, Aino sent her flames toward the stove burner. Still having no control over intensity, the flame came out too strong, hitting the ceiling.
— MY GOD!
— GIRL, CONTROL YOURSELF!
The flame was quickly contained, without causing any damage to the place. After a moment to catch their breath, Aino turned to Minami and asked:
— Okay, light up the kitchen, Minami!
— Like this, girl? I didn't even prepare.
The two trained as best as they could. The time limit was until the end of the afternoon, since Minami's parents would return from work. The training didn't yield many results, but at least they allowed themselves to get in touch with their powers.