Somewhere far, far away...

  "Shao mai! Six hundred credits for shao mai!" the hawker called out. "Shrimp fresh from the gulf, all the way from the coast!"

  A young man in an olive military uniform strolled through the indoor market with a paper bag in hand. The oved around him, a mass of bodies that parted and reformed as they flowed. His green hair and tanned, Nahuatl features blended in seamlessly, but the uniform, that was another matter. The people moved aside for him, giving him a wide berth.

  "Xiao Su!" The old man shouted with a smile as he approached. "The uniform suits you! An esission, as your mother informed me?"

  Montezuma smiled back awkwardly at the niame. "Yes... well. It was a difficult task. Captain Ouyang leased. It has been difficult for us all."

  "Ha!" The old man snorted. "That is good! Your mother is a proud woman, and she will not rest until all is well!"

  Montezuma nodded his head. The man had a point, his mother had always been a strong, stubborn woman.

  "Are those fresh tamales?" Montezuma asked, eyeing the rge pot the man had o him him.

  "Yes, they are! Freshly made this m! Six for two hundred credits!"

  Montezuma's stomach grumbled, and he nodded. "I'll take three orders."

  The hawker reached into the pot and scooped out a bundle of the tamales.

  "How about some phoenix cws? Only seven hundred credits each!"

  Montezuma chuckled.

  "Just the tamales, thank you."

  "Alright, alright. Here you go!"

  Montezuma took the tamales, and then reached into his pocket for his phone.

  "Here you go, Uncle Wu."

  "Thank you," the old man replied. He gave a quick bow and tinued on his way. "e back soon, Xiao Su! You're always wele in my shop!"

  "I'll be back soon, I promise!"

  Montezuma waved to the old man as walked off, and then looked at his wristwatch. 5:16. His train would arrive at the station at 5:30.

  Montezuma looked back up, to where the sun hung low on the horizon, just above the city skyline.

  His hometown of eotihua had always been a massive teological hub. The Aztn federacy was a... well, a federacy. A series of indepe city states bound together in a mutual pact of self-defense and eic cooperation, and each of those city-states had their own character and style.

  The capital, eotihua, had been designed from the ground up as a popia, an ecologically sustaiy that would have made the a Maya or Inca proud It was a massive metropolis with over five million people living in its urban sprawl, with t arcologies and a massive work of high-speed rail and public transportation, along with vertical farms, automated factories, and massive industrial parks. It had been a marvel of modern teology and urban engineering.

  Montezuma had always heard about its terpart across the portals growing up — a sprawl that was just as advanced in its own way. In many ways, the people of Earth were more advahaerran terparts, and their culture was more vibrant. Theirs was a world that was much more teologically and stifically developed, owing to the ck of existential threats in the form of Aberrations and the various chaos beast incursions. eotihua's terpart — San Francisco — was a shining example of this.

  The city had been in the midst of a resurgence from widespread urban decay and dee before the Fourth Chaos War had ravaged their terparts. Sili Valley, as the people of Earth referred to it, had seen to to wonders such as vertical liftoff space shuttles and personal flying car prototypes, as well as the various other wohe world was just beginning to enjoy. But that was in the past.

  In a month, the world had been ged forever.

  Montezuma stepped out from the bustling food market and took in the view. eotihua was a massive sprawling city of t skyscrapers that seemed to touch the clouds, with a popution of nearly six million people. A staggering size by Terran standards.

  A city that had, a little over a year ago, beee of one of the worst Chaos Beast incursions in federacy's long, long, storied history of fending off invasions of all kinds. Now the ey was on lockdown, and the people were afraid to eveure outside.

  He could see it in their faces as they hurried from oination to the other, avoiding the eyes of the armed soldiers and police who were posted everywhere, the people hurrying from pce to pce with fear and ay on their faces. Montezuma felt a twinge of pity for them, but he k wasn't their fault.

  They were just doing the best they could in the circumstances.

  The city had weathered the storm, and he had helped. But the cost... Montezuma sighed, looking at the people around him and the armed soldiers and police. The soldiers were a mixture of men and women, their faces grim, their uniforms , and their ons held with the ready ease of professional warrireen-haired Nahuatl and dark-haired Han ese domiheir ranks, with a signifit English and northern tribe minority. Troops from across the border with the Northern Alliance of States on joint training programs, no doubt.

  A nation, a world united by a shared heritage.

  Montezuma took a deep breath and looked at his watch. The train would arrive at 5:30. He'd be there in time to make his meeting.

  It had taken him time to get used to the new uniform, and the new responsibilities. The age of majority aost developed Terran nations was 15. The same age the Terran Guard took in new cadets, the same age most Terran higher educatirams took iudents.

  The same age Montezuma's brother had been when he'd fought and died as a pilot defending California during the war.

  Montezuma looked down at the tamales in his hand and thought about what the old man had said.

  "Xiao Su."

  It et name. An abridged version of his courtesy name — Su Meng Wei. Su, the Dreaming Oraditional Azteames were difficult for the inal Song delegates to pronounce, and the Aztec priests were too prideful to adopt ese names in full. Thus, a promise had been reached — traditional Azteames fal and formal settings, with ese courtesy names for day to day use and to deal with the men overseas that may as well have been gods.

  Xiao Su. It was the hat had followed Montezuma since birth. He was an adult now. He was expected to act like an adult. To take the initiative, and to not wait around for the orders of his superiors.

  But he didn't know what that meant. He had a job now, and a family, and a city to defend, but he really still felt like a boy in many ways. He felt small, lost, and scared. He didn't know what he should do. He didn't know how he could make his parents happy.

  But he was going to try.

  The train station was busy. It was a rge building with gss ceilings, a tral pza surrounded by shops aaurants, and a rge number of people. Montezuma boarded the train and took a seat he back.

  In many ways, he'd lucked out with the squadron he'd been assigned. Captain Ouyang was the leader, and a stern, no-nonsense man, but he was fair and kind in his way. Ouyang Ren was a war hero and the man who'd sin a Duke-css chaos beast that had threatehe whole city, a massive creature that had towered over the buildings.

  The city's guardian, S-css magical girl Coatlicue had been grievously wounded in defense of the city. Ren, her guardian knight, had fihe fight for her, avenging his deceased wife. The Captain had a heart of gold. Montezuma had nothing but respect for him.

  And the squad. Montezuma sighed. The squad, well. It was an eclectic mix of personalities.

  Sergeant Itzcoatl, a muscur man with cropped, short teal hair and muscles upon muscles had been the ideal N many ways. Gruff, stern, no-nonsense, but he was also fair, kind, and had a surprisingly good sense of humor.

  Corporal Zi Ling was a young bck-haired, green-eyed, petite woman, with an almost i look on her face, and a wicked tongue, sharp wit, and a tendency to get under people's skins. But she was a damned good soldier, and an eveer mecha pilot. Her rifle was her baby.

  And Specialist Cuauhtemoc was... a problem. He was the most talented pilot of all of them, but he had an attitude. He was rude, zy, and didn't follow orders. He had a bad attitude, and he was a scker.

  And then, there was Montezuma himself.

  Montezuma was the new kid, and the one everyone was always watg, judging. The one everyone was waiting to see what he'd do. He didn't feel like he'd earhe right to wear his uniform yet, but it wasn't his call to make, so here he was.

  He was going to have to prove himself.

  He was going to have to show everyone he was worthy.

  Montezuma watched as the train moved out of the station, and into the darkness of the tunnels.

  As the train sped away, Montezuma took a deep breath, a his thoughts wander. His parents were proud of him. They were proud of his brother. They were proud of his achievements.

  But they hadn't wanted him to jointi Defense Force, and Montezuma k.

  They'd wanted him to stay home and go to school. Bee an engineer. Maybe go to the Uy, or bee an artist.

  Montezuma hadn't wao go into engineering. He'd wao bee a soldier, like his brother. He wao defend the people, to defend the city.

  But his parents had wanted him to stay safe. They wanted him to be safe.

  And now he was a soldier, just like his brother, and he was going to have to live up to his brother's legacy.

  His brother had died a hero, but that didn't mean he wao follow him into the afterlife.

  Montezuma took out a tamale and began to eat. It tasted good. It was fresh and hot, and he savored every bite.

  Time passed faster than it seemed, and soon, he was at the diplomatic district.

  The district had been a thriving hub of iional erce, a ter for iional trade and cooperation. It was a beautiful, modern district full of t skyscrapers, green parks, and gleaming shoppiers. It had been the ter of the Aztn federacy's iional outreach program, and the ter of the world for many diplomats.

  Montezuma walked past the checkpoints and the barricades, showing his papers and identification to the guards, who waved him through without question.

  Sihe attack st year, security had been tight. Tighter thahe diplomatic district was now an armed camp. Soldiers and police were posted everywhere, their ons ready, their faces grim.

  Montezuma saair of figures that looked familiar as he approached the Uates embassy. He reized the hulking form of Itzcoatl, and a boy around his age that stood beside him, his arm in a sling.

  "Montezuma! Hey, you got food!" The specialist shouted. Montezuma grimaced. The boy's arm had been badly injured during the outing to Lenahopeking, escorted Professor Jacob Williams. His mech had beeroyed by the bizarre creature they'd entered. Cuauhtemoc had been lucky to get out with his life.

  The Sergeant and the Specialist were both out of uniform, but there was no mistaking who they were. Cuauhtemo was the only other one oeam close to Montezuma in age, and the one he'd ied the most with. Itzcoatl was the Sergeant, and a man he greatly respected.

  He looked down at the tamales he was carrying. "Ah. Well. I got them for the squad," Montezuma expined.

  "I'm the squad!" Cuauhtemoc shot back. He was dressed casually, with a loose-fitting bck jacket over a bck shirt and jeans. The Specialist had a bit of an edgy look to him, but there was no mistaking his skill in the mech. Cuauhtemoc was good. Really good.

  Montezuma gnced up at the sky, to see the stars beginning to appear in the darkening sky. It was a clear night. The stars were bright and shining.

  The Sergeant, oher hand, was a mountain of a man, with cropped, teal green hair, a pair of thick eyebrows and dark brown skin that had seey of time in the sun.

  "It's good to see you, Montezuma," Itzcoatl said. "We're gd you made it."

  Montezuma smiled and handed him a bag. The Sergeant ope up and ihe smell of the tamales.

  "Nothing like Si pepper pork tamales," Itzcoatl muttered. He gnced up at the Specialist. "Want one, Coyote?"

  "You bet I do!" Cuauhtemoc replied. He took one of the tamales and took a bite.

  He looked down at the ground as he chewed, his face filled with sadness.

  "This reminds me of my mom's cooking. She was from Si Province," Cuauhtemoc said after a moment.

  Montezuma frowned. He didn't know Cuauhtemoc that well, but from the way the Sergeant was looking at the boy, and from the way Cuauhtemoc was reag, he had an inkling that his parents had been killed during the chaos beast incursions st year.

  Montezuma swallowed and looked down at the ground, his own grief threatening to overwhelm him.

  The Fourth Chaos War. The worst one in history. A world-ending war. Billions dead, and the death toll as a sequenly rising. Terra had been spared the worst of it, but the aftershocks, the refugee crisis... it had been the greatest disaster in recorded history.

  "Your brother would be proud," Itzcoatl said after a few minutes. "You did well."

  Montezuma smiled and looked at him, nodding.

  Itzcoatl had served with both his brother and Captain Ren during the war. Montezuma looked up at the older man, and the man looked back with a kind, if tired, smile.

  "I... I hope so," Montezuma said.

  "You're a good kid," Itzcoatl said, patting him on the back.

  "Hello!"

  A new voiterrupted the two of them, and Montezuma turo see a tall, brown-haired man with a suit and tie and a walking sti his hand approach them from the gates. His hazel eyes revealed his Earthborage, and the suit he was wearing suggested wealth and influence.

  Itzcoatl saluted, g his fist with his open palm with a slight bow.

  "Sir."

  Montezuma and Cuauhtemoc followed suit, both snapping to attention and saluting.

  "A-Ambassador," Montezuma stammered, bowing his head as he promptly switched from Mandarin to English.

  The man chuckled and shook his head, his hazel eyes sparkling. "Rex. I must thank you all for resg Professor Williams and I from the... creatures we entered orip. I must admit I was expeg a rather dull outing, but the chaos event's appearand subsequent subjugatioainly livehings up! You federate soldiers do excellent work. And a pleasure to see you, Specialist Cuauhtemoc, gd to see you're on your feet."

  Cuauhtemoced, but bowed his head politely, giving him a forced, but genuine smile.

  "Heh. It's not every day a guy gets to fight a Duke-css chaos beast in a med live," he replied. "I'm lucky. That's for sure."

  Montezuma shuddered, thinking ba the creatures that had emerged. Zhang and Cuauhtemoc had escorted aor from the Magical Girl Support Operatives to duct re on the in of the Chaos Event. It was a miracle that both survived.

  "What happeo him, anyway?" Montezuma asked.

  "His mech exploded. The kid from the Support Ops ma him out before it went up in fmes, but he got a good number of fractures fighting the thing," Itzcoatl expined. "Lucky bastard."

  Montezuma looked at Cuauhtemoc. The boy was looking away, and he could tell that the injuries he'd sustained had been bad.

  "I'm fine," Cuauhtemoc said, shrugging. "It's nothing, really."

  "Nothing?" Itzcoatl said, his face hard.

  "Nothing I wouldn't do again."

  Ambassador Hinonkawa nodded, looking away as he coughed. "Well, in any case. I've brought cigarettes for Sergeant Izzy here... and a gss of milk. It's good for you, Specialist. Builds healthy bones."

  Itzcoatl chuckled and Cuauhtemoorted.

  "Sir, the Specialist isn't going to drink that," Montezuma said. He g Cuauhtemoc, who was shaking his head and grimag.

  The Ambassadrinned and chuckled, shaking his head. "He was the one who in fact, requested it."

  Cuauhtemoc's grimace deepened. "Sometimes, it takes a man to do something like drinking a gss of milk. And a bigger man to do it in public."

  The sergeant burst out ughing and spped him on the back.

  Montezuma smiled.

  He was gd they were all alive. He was gd that Cuauhtemoc was okay. He was gd they were all alive. And he was gd they had saved the Ambassador.

  Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

  Montezuma felt the tremors, and the shaking tinued for a few seds.

  Their phones all buzzed simultaneously.

  "Magnitude 1.4?" Itzcoatl asked.

  "What the fuck?" Cuauhtemoc muttered. "It's barely worth calling it a chaos event!"

  The ground stopped shaking, and Montezuma looked at his phone.

  Ordinarily, the ropy geors around the city would nullify chaos events below a magnitude of 2.5, the threshold o ma Aberrant creatures and the monsters of myth. Montezuma looked around and noticed that the streetlights around the area were flickering.

  "It's probably nothing to worry about," Montezuma said.

  "Maybe," Itzcoatl said.

  Montezuma noticed Ambassador Hinokawa narrowing his eyes. The Ambassador had a look of deep thought and tration on his face as he followed Montezuma's gaze to the street lights.

  The Sergeant looked at Montezuma, and then to the Ambassador, who had turo look at them with an odd look in his eyes. The two exged a gnd they seemed to have a silent versation with each other before the sound of shouting caught their collective attention. It was ing from up the street.

  Before anyone else could react, Ambassador Hinonkawa broke into a dead sprint.

  "Shit! Let's go, kids!" Itzcoatl shouted. Montezuma nodded, breaking into a dead run as they followed the ambassador.

  It didn't take them long to get to the source of the shouting. Montezuma stopped and did a double-take as he saw a soldier shout and level his pistol at a man, buaked, and running toward them, screaming, and ranting. Montezuma could barely make out what the man was saying as the soldier screamed for him to get on his knees and surrender.

  The man didn't get on his knees.

  The soldier pulled the trigger. The gun fired, and the man swerved out of the way. The bullet grazed his shoulder. He lu the soldier and smmed his fist into the soldier's chest.

  The soldier went flying through the air and hit a nearby wall, crumbling to the ground. The naked man stood there, panting heavily, and looking around wildly, his dark eyes wide.

  Montezuma looked at him. He looked... normal. Just an ordinary Nahuatl man. Save for the fact he was buaked. But he had some sort of horrible gealed chest wound and covered in visible scars. He was surrounded by the bodies of a dozen fallen police officers and soldiers. The man's hair was long and u, and he looked like he was in his mid to te thirties.

  "M-Mierda! Donde carajo estoy?"

  "Those eyes..." Ambassador Hinokawa muttered.

  "What are you talking about?" Montezuma asked, his voice strained.

  "Wait stop! Sergeant Itzcoatl!" Cuauhtemoc screamed, as the sergeant moved in and drew his bat knife. Cuauhtemoc was trying to get his pistol out, and Montezuma fumbled for his own.

  Itzcoatl charged the man. He sshed with his bde. The man ducked and swerved, avoiding each strike. The sergeant was fast, and skilled. Montezuma could see that he was seasoned in hand to hand bat.

  But the naked man was just a little bit faster. And a little bit more ferocious. He smmed his fist into the sergeant's gut and he grunted in pain, the air being pushed from his lungs as he stumbled back. Itzcoatl raised his arms in defense, only to blink in surprise as he found his knife missing from his grip.

  The man grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder, sending the sergeant tumbling through the air.

  The sergeant rolled to a stop and slowly rose to his feet. The man walked over to the sergeant, who was still rec, and soccer kicked him i. The sergeant flew back, and hit a wall.

  "G-Get out of here!" Itzcoatl yelled as Cuauhtemoc helped him up.

  "Are you kidding me?!" the specialist hissed.

  "We 't let him hurt ahe sergeant yelled back. "Just go!"

  Montezuma stepped forward, holding his pistol and aiming at the man.

  "S-Stop!" Montezuma shouted.

  The man turo him. He didn't move. Montezuma could see the blood on his hands, and the way he held himself was like an animal. Feral. Savage. He wasn't a soldier, or even a normal person. The man was lean, but muscur. His eyes were wide and his face was twisted into a snarl.

  Blue eyes. Bright blue eyes just like a zombie twisted into an aberrant by chaos energy. But he was clearly still human aient.

  "Surrender!" Montezuma shouted. He was shaking. The man was staring at him with those wide eyes and his body was tensing.

  Montezuma's finger rested origger. The man growled, and he charged at him with Itzcoatl's knife in hand.

  Montezuma pulled the trigger. The man dodged, the bullet missing by a wide margin.

  He felt his stomach drop as he squeezed the trigger again and again. Each shot missing by an ever-increasingly wider margin as the man got closer and closer in the blink of an eye.

  Montezuma shut his eyes. The man lunged.

  And a thwag sound was all that greeted him.

  Montezuma's eyes flew open.

  "Enough," the ambassadrowled, his hazel eyes narrowing, as Itzcoatl's kered to the ground.

  Hinokawa had intercepted the man mid-sprint with his e and smmed him to the floor. The man struggled beh the weight of the stick. He snarled and screamed, bug Hinokawa off him. He rolled, grabbing the knife, and sshing at him. Hinokawa blocked with his stick, parrying each strike. The two exged blows, eae faster tha.

  Montezuma stared, wide-eyed.

  To his knowledge, the ambassador was a non-batant, a civilian, and ah-born diplomat. He was supposed to be weak and defenseless.

  The ambassador wasn't.

  The man lu Hinokawa. He smmed the end of his stito the man's gut, knog the air from his lungs. He followed up with a vicious strike to the head, which sent the man reeling.

  "Stop this," Hinokawa said. "I don't want to hurt you."

  The man snarled and got to his feet, panting.

  "I... I will stop you. Yn of terror ends here!"

  Thetled into a straance.

  "Assassination Art..." the man spoke in English, his voice hoarse.

  "I k..." Hinokawa murmured, as the man's hands began to glow with red light, his muscles visibly tensing. Hinokawa settled into a defeance, his own hazel eyes narrowing.

  The man vanished in the blink of an eye.

  "Crimson Moonlight Dance!"

  He appeared behind the ambassador. His hand sshed forward.

  "Luminary Art: Sor Radiance Barrier!" Hinokawa shouted as a series of light shields formed around him. They were a radiant gold and silver, shimmering in the light. The man sshed through the shields, only for them tee. He roared and threw a kick.

  "Shining Wave!" A crest of gold energy shot from the bottom of Hinokawa's stick, sending the man stumbling back as he was bsted in the chest.

  The man roared, and vanished.

  He reappeared behind the ambassador. His hands were wreathed in a crimson light that seemed to burn.

  "Crest Moon Beheading!"

  Hinokawa twirled his staff, and a wave of golden light bsted out of it.

  "Radiant Fsh!"

  The two collided. The red energy of the man's attack exploded, sending him tumbling through the air, while Hinokawa himself was knocked backwards. He grunted as he was smmed into a wall, coughing and panting as he got up. Montezuma stared wide-eyed. He didn't uand. What was going on?

  "Assassination Art: Blood Moon's Shimmer!"

  The man lunged, his fist glowing red as he disappeared and blurred forward.

  Hinokawa dodged out of the way. He raised his stick, and anolden crest of energy bsted forward.

  "Radiant Bolt!"

  The golden crest shot from the end of the staff, hitting the man dead on and sending him skidding across the ground, tumbling to a stop as the man groaned in pain, struggling to his feet.

  Hinokawa stepped forward. He looked at the man. "You have to stop."

  "Assassination Art..."

  The ambassador raised his stick. It began to glow with golden light, a blindingly bright radiance.

  The man roared, and his hand sshed through the air.

  "Scarlet Starfall!"

  He disappeared. And then, he reappeared right in front of Hinokawa.

  Hinokawa swung his e forward, the golden light of his staff colliding with the red of the man's hands. They struggled, their power g.

  Hinokawa gritted his teeth.

  "Snap out of it!" He shouted. He swung the e forward, smming it into the man's shoulder. "You aren't like this!"

  "I... I must... kill you! End this ond for all!"

  "Radiant Fsh!" Another wave of golden light shot out from the e. The man was blown backward aumbling to the ground. He skidded and rolled to a stop, groaning.

  Hinokawa walked forward cautiously. "Are... are you done?"

  The man groaned and struggled to stand. He looked up at Hinokawa, the blue light fading from his eyes. "You... you aren't her. Who... are you?"

  The ambassadhed, l his staff. "It's been sixteen years," he said. "You've... grown up a bit since we've st met, huh?"

  The naked man blinked in fusion as Hinokawa took off his coat and draped it over his shoulders. The man blinked in fusion, looking around as he seemed to take stock of the situation for the first time, his face torted into one of fusion and shock.

  "Where... where are we? What's happening?"

  Hinokawa sighed, before holding his e in a prayer position. "Luminary Art: Requiem of Radiant Light," he said. Montezuma's jaw dropped open, as Hinokawa's body glowed with golden light, his brown hair shifting into a golden sheen.

  The man's look ged from fusion, to surprise, and then shock.

  "No. Impossible. It's... It's you?" The man asked.

  The light faded from Hinokawa, and he gave the man a wry smile.

  "Sorry I had to beat you up like this. But it seems like you've gotten much stronger." He looked around, and sighed, gesturing at Montezuma. "Lieutenant. Please do keep this fidential."

  Montezuma could only nod as Hinokawa turo the man, pg a f hand on his shoulder.

  "Let me expihing. You're ieotihua, Aztn federacy."

  The Nahuatl man's jaw fell open as his face went white. He looked down, and shook his head. "What...?"

  "It's going to be a long story. I think we should go inside. You've... ah, well. I think you o put some clothes on." Hinokawa turo Montezuma. "If you wouldn't mind, please call an ambunce? I'll hahings here."

  Montezuma didn't have any words to answer. All he could do was nod dumbly as Hinokawa helped the naked man to his feet. As he watched the man walk away, he could only stare, his mind rag.

  What had just happened? Who was this man? How was he able to do what he'd done?

  And since when could ahborn like Hinokawa do that?!