Retvik didn’t want to wake up, he was very comfy, dozing on the sofa with one of Kayel’s hoodies wrapped around his head, and Kayel himself purring, half asleep by Retvik’s side, wearing a bright pink and salon striped hoodie of his own. But something was poking Retvik in the leg and that was bothering him.
“Is something wrong, Tenuk?”
Tenuk was also wearing one of Kayel’s hoodies, a black one with light blue hearts that he had essentially claimed as his own. Across the room, Nyssi was snoozing on the other sofa, however, the hoodie she was wearing was a bit short and her bare stomach was visible, the hoodie only just covering her breasts. At least she was wearing underwear and a short skirt to cover her modesty. While Kayel never seemed to be bothered about nudity or other beings wearing his clothes, Retvik wasn’t originally aware that Temthans normally wandered around the house completely naked, and he and Tenuk had had to have a word with Nyssi, to make sure that she at least wore a pair of knickers while others were present.
“Uh, yeah…” Tenuk seemed overly nervous, which was odd, since he was completely fine earlier. “There’s someone at the door. I think it’s that Rethan from yesterday.”
Retvik instantly snapped to attention, nearly knocking Kayel off the sofa in the process.
“Dude, what was that for?” Kayel yawned, picking himself up and stretching out. “Huh. It’s dark. What time is it?”
Climbing to his feet, Retvik reached for his wristbands and put them on. “20:34.”
“Oh. Twenty five to nine. Not that late then…” Kayel and Tenuk both watched as Retvik marched upstairs and immediately grabbed the first stomach wrap and loincloth he could find and threw them on. After a moment of hesitation though, Retvik took them both off and instead put on his spare set of green arena house fighter armour, then put the stomach wrap and loincloth back on.
“He’s taking this more seriously than I thought…” Tenuk muttered as he took off the hoodie he was wearing and shapeshifted himself into a Rethan similar to Retvik, except in Tenuk’s own two-tone blue colourings.
“It’s just another Rethan though, right?”
“You didn’t see it shadowjump yesterday…”
Kayel and Tenuk were rudely silenced as Retvik hissed at them and reached for one of the many gunstaffs he kept by the front door. Just as Tenuk had stated, a strange Rethan was standing outside, the same one that had been spying on them the day before. Retvik silently cursed at himself for not taking the time to look at the picture he had taken, to see if he could have found more information about the worrisome being.
The Rethan outside seemed to be aware of Retvik’s presence, the same way Retvik was aware they were there too. They knocked politely on the door and waited for a response.
Retvik hesitated, then put the gunstaff to one side and took off his helmet, not wanting to look too aggressive. After all, the Rethan outside was a General, a superior, and Retvik didn’t want any trouble.
“Hello?” Retvik tried to remain calm as he opened the door. On closer inspection though, aside from the overly long fangs jutting out from their mouth, up close, this Rethan didn’t look too threatening. Shorter than Retvik, with grey skin and white and pale blue natural plating, buried under black armour and a black cape, with the golden general insignia attached to their upper left arm. Attached to their hip was a sword and a folded up, collapse-able gunstaff with the safety on and secured firmly in place. A black leather satchel was hung over one shoulder, with both a zip and a velcro flap. However, their eyes were an icy blue, a wholly unnatural colour for a Rethan.
“Hello, you must be Retvik Rethianos, the Lightbearer. May I have a word with you in private?”
“I have guests right now.”
The Rethan smiled. Those fangs were unnerving. “Yes, your fellow members of Xeno Dessaron One. I assume you have heard it enough already, but I do believe a thank you is in order for what you did. I do very much just want a quick word with you though. No more than ten minutes of your time.”
“You… do not wish to take me anywhere?”
“If you cooperate, no, we do not need to go anywhere.”
After a moment of thought, Retvik stepped outside, but kept one foot and his tail in the door, just in case. “Very well. Who are you, General?”
The Rethan’s smile widened. “My name is Kuta Tieridos, General of the 11th Legion, General of Hidden Affairs. Part of my duties involves speaking to, monitoring, assisting and potentially containing Rethans with extraordinary abilities that they may or may not be able to control. The High General requested that I stop by and do a… quick check on you, as you seem to be wholly unaffected by Phantasma-based magicks and can heal at an abnormal rate.”
Retvik blinked. “But… you can shadowjump, and you are-”
“Yes, I do have my own array of unholy abilities, which are completely under my control, after years of dedication and study. However, not many Rethans are as lucky, especially those from the more distinct bloodlines.”
“The Rethianos Tradition is not one of those bloodlines though?” Retvik was now more confused than anything else, but General Kuta still seemed oddly threatening and he couldn’t work out why. There was an aura about Kuta that Retvik couldn’t place, that felt both similar and vastly foreign as well.
“It is not, but, well, everyone saw you today, and the High General has had suspicions that there was more than meets the eye, and I am just… checking in. To make sure that everything is right, of course.”
Kuta paused, having sensed movement behind them, and turned around to see what it was. However, the Rethan General stepped back, emitting a whole spectrum of emotions. Emotions similar to the being standing before them.
“Oh, hello again, Arkay!” Retvik waved. “What are you doing here? Also, is that a new look?”
Behind Retvik, Kayel and Tenuk had appeared, to see what was going on. Retvik’s statement was right, the Thantophor did look different. Normally he appeared as a normal, yellow Rethavok, or a slightly too large Skyavok, but today, he seemed to be neither. He was still a Panthreanic being, standing at 2m tall, with the typical organic armour plating, but he had four short, black horns jutting out just beneath his head plate, and a black, inky substance ran up his arms, legs and tail.
Arkay didn’t answer Retvik’s question. Instead, he stared blankly at Kuta, and Kuta stared back. It took far too long for either of them to speak.
“I thought you were dead, Kuta.”
“I thought you were just a dream, Arkay.”
“You two know each other?” Kayel butted in, trying to diffuse the tension. Everyone present suddenly felt awkward and nauseous, and Arkay and Kuta both realized they were subconsciously affecting everyone around them.
“I…” Kuta hesitated. “I think I do, yes. Errant memories of a past that may not have happened.”
“Yeah, they did happen. In a way.”
“You offer the answers I seek?” Kuta asked. “Because I have been afflicted by terrible dreams for a while now, with no solace in sight.”
Arkay nodded. “I do. Do you mind coming with me, Kuta?”
Again, Kuta hesitated. They glanced at Retvik, then sighed. “Yes, I will come with you. Retvik here is harmless anyway, and does not require my interference or questioning.”
The Thantophor took a deep breath, then summoned a dark, shadowy portal. He then took Kuta’s hand and led them through it. Once they had disappeared, the portal snapped shut and faded away, leaving an awkward silence.
“So, which of you two called Arkay?” Retvik eventually asked as he nudged Kayel and Tenuk back inside and locked the front door. “We really cannot be calling him to assist us every five seconds.”
“Normally, I’d agree!” Tenuk exclaimed. “But, like, shadowjumping Rethans are freaky. That guy was freaky. And he even seemed to freak Arkay out!”
Kayel shrugged as he made his way back over to the sofas, grabbing a drink as he did so. “Eh, Retvik’s right, but by the darkness, something was weird about all of that. Like they both saw a shadowed mirror of their own pasts or something.”
Retvik grunted, then started taking off his armour. “We should give Arkay a few hours, then message him and see if he is alright. But it is probably nothing too serious. After all, he has been in a bit of a mess for a while now…”