Force Within

Golden Lake Arc: 3 | Encounter

ZEKE

"Avi?"

The anxiety and wonder still hadn't left me with all that was happening. The sights I am witnessing now are already grim, and suddenly, there was Avi. She remains calm, her gaze fixed on the group I have been observing.

"What are you doing here? Are you okay? Do you know what's happening?" I whispered to her, noticing her intense focus on the force in front of us and the townspeople.

"Shh, I told you to be quiet. Look at the one on the other side of Marmaduke, the one opposite the guy with metal nails in his face," she said, pointing to a tall woman with long hair standing to the left of Marmaduke's throne. What was even more chilling about her appearance were the incredibly long, solid metal claws she have.

"She's part of the 2nd Division under Marmaduke. Her core is Vibration Sense. So, any noise we make, and she'll catch us for sure."

I was both surprised and awed by Avi's knowledge. How did she know this? Had she encountered this force before? So, my suspicion was correct that the one with the nails in his face is the 1st Division of Marmaduke and the woman on his left is of the 2nd Division.

This is the typical composition of a force: the commander in the center with the right and left hand divisions on either side.

I have so many questions to ask Avi, but I held back for now because we needed to hide and remain silent. For now, all I knew was that I felt more secure and calmer, knowing that I have someone to ask for help.

I can't help but to think, this shouldn't be like this. A force's purpose should be meaningful, far from oppressing the townspeople like this. Forces like these only tarnish the reputation of forces among the people in Chrome and give the higher-ups even more advantage, even if their operations are twisted and unjust. Because of forces like these, more and more people lose hope in forces in general.

Back to the scene, the oppression of this force's attributes continued against the townspeople, and we couldn't do anything as they were locked in what seemed like a massive metal cage.

Avi and I found an opportunity to escape the horrifying scene when we noticed the top divisions of Marmaduke were distracted. We made our way back to the abandoned house where I had taken refuge, still shocked by everything we had witnessed. My hunger and fatigue disappeared because the only thing on my mind now was to save the townspeople.

I don't know how, but I couldn't bear to do nothing. I had encountered various forces in the past, but nothing like this. That's why you'd only see a few forces in crowded places; they had to hide and be cautious around the higher-ups.

When we reached my hideout an hour later, none of us spoke, at least not me. I am lost in my thoughts, and Avi seems worried about my well-being.

"So, are you okay now, Zeke? Maybe you should eat first."

I didn't know whether to be worried about Avi or amazed because she seemed unfazed by what we had seen. Given what she had told me earlier, I knew she had some knowledge about this force.

"Avi, how did you know those details about that force? Don't tell me they had captured you before?" I asked with concern, echoing my thoughts from earlier when I had returned here.

She fell silent for a moment and looked down. A sad smile touched her lips.

"Twice."

I suddenly felt a heaviness in my chest upon hearing that.

"Please don't tell Granny and the kids." she added.

Avi had always been close to my heart as she was the first friend I made after I left his care. Knowing that she had been captured and possibly harmed by this force, I couldn't help but worry and shed tears for her. Even though she hadn't shared her experiences with me yet, I was already hurting for her.